The Week in Review: March 16 - 22

California moves forward with caste discrimination ban 

California State Senator Aisha Wahab, who represents prominent South Asian areas in the state such as Fremont and San Jose, recently introduced a bill that would fight caste discrimination in the United States.

“The more diverse California becomes and the United States becomes, we need to protect more people in the way the American dream was originally supposed to,” said Wahab, in an interview with NBC News. 

Wahab foresees the bill as the first in a long line of future bills that challenge racial, gender, and sex discrimination, holding prejudiced institutions accountable for their actions. 

Tensions in India Separatist Movement 

Over a hundred Sikh Separatist Amritpal Singh’s supporters have been arrested in strikes over fears of inciting further violence. 

The Sikhs are a minority group in India, comprising less than 2% of the country’s population, with a majority residing in the state of Punjab. Many Sikhs have called for the establishment of a sovereign state in Punjab, sparking fears of violence, as tensions between the government and followers rise. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Russian Leader Putin 

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently completed a two-day visit to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin over discussions of developing long-term relationships between the two countries. Xi made no mention of Russia’s war on Ukraine and said that China plays an “impartial position” on the conflict. 

Since the start of the war, Russia’s economy has become increasingly reliant on China amid sanctions imposed from the West. The two leaders signed dozens of agreements that would strengthen ties between the two countries. 

Asian Americans don’t feel supported in workspaces, study shows 

In the United States, Asian American employees are the most likely to participate in employee affinity organizations, but reportedly “don’t feel sufficiently supported” in their companies. 

AAPI recently released poll data that reveals Asian American employees face lack of diversity and representation in leadership and support in their workplaces, in addition to being hesitant to report hate crimes and increased fears of gun violence.