‘Caste is anti-Asian hate’: the activists fighting ‘less visible’ discrimination in the US

Thenmozhi Soundararajan has spent her life battling for equity. Now California could pass a landmark law protecting it

Thenmozhi Soundararajan had one of her earliest encounters with India's ancient caste ladder when she was 10, during a playdate at a friend's house not long after immigrating to the US.

When Soundararajan revealed that she belongs to a caste once known as untouchables" - also known by the Sanskrit term Dalit" - her friend's mother, with a disgusted look, asked her to eat communal snacks on a separate plate so she could not taint the rest of the family.