Harvard is the first Ivy League university to recognise caste-based discrimination

An Ivy League university in the US now officially acknowledges one of India’s worst social evils. The Harvard Graduate Student Union has ratified a four-year contract that recognises caste as a protected category, US-based social justice organisation Equality Labs announced on Dec. 1. “This contract was a hard-won victory, which resulted after a three-day strike, a second strike threat, and eight months of negotiation…Driven in partnership with caste-oppressed community members, this win is part of a larger national movement for caste equity that aims to protect caste-oppressed students, workers, and communities across the country,” Equality Labs said in the release.