Harvard University has added race as a protected class for all undergraduate and graduate scholar staff.
The historic addition marks Harvard as the primary Ivy League college to have race fairness safety in a nondiscrimination clause for unionized scholar staff. Equity Labs mentioned in an announcement that the choice will have an effect on greater than 4,900 scholar workers at Harvard and the encircling Harvard group.
In addition, Harvard joins UC Davis, Colby College, Brandeis University and a number of other different universities the place college students, college and workers face race-based discrimination, Equity Labs mentioned.
“Inspired in partnership with members of a caste-oppressed community, this victory is part of a larger national movement for caste equality that aims to protect caste-oppressed students, workers and communities across the country.”
Thenmozhi Sundararajan, government director of Equality Labs, mentioned in an announcement that the braveness of the Harvard Graduate Student Union and the inter-racial and inter-religious coalition of scholars and group that helped make this victory doable is inspiring.
He mentioned that these leaders have labored tirelessly to realize this victory by supporting the scholars going through caste discrimination.
Aparna Gopalan mentioned, “With the incredible backing of Equality Labs as well as the Harvard Anti-Caste Coalition, the Harvard Graduate Students Union has become one of the first higher education labor unions to gain protection against caste discrimination in a collective bargaining agreement ” , Harvard Graduate Student Union organizer.
“This is also the first time Harvard or an Ivy League institution has officially decided to include race as a protected category,” she mentioned.
Raj Muthu, a Dalit alumnus of Harvard University, mentioned the victory is a small however necessary step to make sure that there may be at the least one alternative of recourse for college students like him who skilled caste-based discrimination on the premier college. And that well-being of caste oppressed college students issues.
“From derogatory remarks about the intelligence of oppressed caste students, to the complete cultural monopoly of South Asian/India celebrations to proudly state their activism against affirmative action in India prior to admission to Harvard, segregation, humiliation and social The deep sense of exclusion I experienced made me constantly alert and concerned about the consequences of Harvard’s exclusion as a Dalit in South Asian circles,” Muthu mentioned.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
