Kshama Sawant, the name associated with Seattle becoming the first US city to enact a law against caste-based discrimination in 2023 – and rather the first in the world outside South Asia – has recently been denied a visa by the Indian government to visit her ailing mother.
Sawant, then the lone Indian-American member of the Seattle City Council, is known for her unwavering dedication to social justice and firebrand activism. She has consistently stood up for marginalised groups, including the poor working class and minorities, often inviting the ire of right-wing groups and corporations. In 2013, she lent her voice to the simmering issue of caste-based discrimination faced by Dalits in US technology companies at the hands of upper-caste managers. She moved an ordinance and galvanised support across race, religion, and caste backgrounds, with more than 200 US organisations rallying behind her.
The ordinance, expectedly, faced some opposition from groups including the Coalition of Hindus of North America, the Hindu American Foundation, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America who argued that the legislation unfairly singled out Hindus and contributed to harmful misconceptions about them. A letter signed by more than 100 diverse organisations and businesses urged the Seattle City Council to oppose Sawant’s ordinance. Surprisingly, it prominently included a Dalit-Bahujan outfit – Ambedkar-Phule Network of American Dalits and Bahujans – indicating how hopelessly even the well-educated Dalits are fragmented in the diaspora.
On the day of the debate, the council chamber overflowed with activists from both sides bearing banners, chanting slogans, and challenging speakers and city officials. The stark divisions among the South Asian diaspora laid bare the prescience of Ambedkar’s assertion that Indians spreading across the world would make caste a global problem. A majority of those present in the council chamber supported the ordinance, while opponents formed a vocal minority. As council members approved the ordinance by a 6-1 majority, the chamber erupted into cheers of “Jai Bhim,” a rallying cry adopted by Dalits in honour of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The ripples soon spread across the world among Dalits, making Kshama Sawant a household name.
Not only Dalits but also the entire progressive world hailed this historic feat, showering congratulatory messages and encomiums on Sawant. A Vancouver-based Indian-Canadian organisation even declared her the Person of the Year 2023.
A software engineer who became an economics professor and then an activist-politician, Sawant’s socialist leanings were strengthened after she migrated from Mumbai to the US and attended Socialist Alternative meetings in Seattle. After an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives, she was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2014, becoming the first socialist on the council since 1877. She served until she announced that she would not seek re-election, choosing instead to promote the Socialist Alternative campaign, Workers Strike Back, to unionise workers. In 2024, she left Socialist Alternative and formed her own party, Revolutionary Workers. She was also part of the movement to raise the US minimum wage and played a key role in passing a resolution opposing India’s anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act in 2020.
The news of Indian authorities rejecting her visa application to see her ailing mother first emerged on social media. As a civil rights activist, I reached out to her to seek details. She provided written replies to my queries, which are as follows:
Can you share details about your visa application process? Were any specific reasons cited for the denial?
My application for an e-visa was rejected on May 29, 2024. I applied again for an e-visa, and that was also rejected on June 7th, 2024. No reasons were ever provided for why my e-visa request was rejected twice. Each time, the response merely said, “Application Status: Rejected.”
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
