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By Aurora de Peralta
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 21, 2014, the International Commission for Dalit Rights (ICDR) hosted a Global March Against Caste-Based Discrimination to raise awareness of the issues faced by Dalits and other victims of the caste system.
ICDR is a Dalit-founded and run international nonprofit dedicated to promoting social justice in caste-affected countries. The organization planned the event in association with a range of diaspora groups, universities and civil rights organizations including the Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA), the Ambedkar International Mission (AIM), the Ambedkar International Center (AIC) and the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSC).
The open event was well-attended, with approximately five hundred individuals traveling from various U.S. states, Canada, England, Nepal and India to show their solidarity and support for the nearly 260 million caste-affected Dalits across the world.
Marchers gathered at Scott Circle in the afternoon and walked to The White House before continuing to the U.S. Capitol, carrying banners calling for U.S. political support of Dalit equality. One sign urged critical thinking with a quote from Indian social reformer B.R. Ambedkar, reading “Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.”
The term “Dalit” comes from the Sanskrit root “dal-” and translates to “broken down, downtrodden, or oppressed.” Dalits, who represent a community of 170 million in India, regularly face discrimination and violence which prevent them from possessing basic human rights and dignity. They are considered “outcastes,” or individuals who fall outside of India’s traditional four-fold caste system. According to ICDR, every day Dalits are “forced into slavery and bonded labor, denied access to communal water sources, and refused services at public establishments solely on the basis of their caste.”
ICDR and the twelve other sponsoring organizations aimed to gather support for the Dalits by advocating for two objectives at the march: (1) endorsement by the White House of Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent established by the U.N. Human Rights Council, and (2) passage by the U.S. Congress of a binding resolution against caste-based discrimination that mandates action by U.S. government agencies in South Asia.
ICDR Founder and President Dil Bishwakarma, also known as DB Sagar, believes that calling attention to the plight of the Dalits in the U.S. will help spark global recognition of their sufferings.
“This march is about restoring the basic human rights that are denied to people every day at the hands of the caste system. The United Nations has done extensive work that documents the perils of caste discrimination,” he said. “The United States can take the global lead in eradicating this gross injustice.”
“The organizers are grateful for the support it has received from organizations across the U.S. and internationally,” he added.
The march was set to precede a global conference tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2014. Similar marches with the same purpose have since sparked throughout the United States, including a solidarity march in the California Bay Area at the same date and time as the D.C. march.
