Equality Labs

Caste Discrimination in US: Dalit Activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan's Groundbreaking Survey and Advocacy | Chennai News - The Times of India A groundbreaking US survey revealed widespread caste discrimination among Dalits, challenging the notion that it's confined to South Asia. Activist Th

Thank you, @timesofindianews.bsky.social for this primer on caste in the US. Our Executive Director, @dalitdiva.bsky.social states: "We deserve a diaspora that heals together, stands with survivors, and refuses to repeat the injustices we inherited."
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai...

4/ We must also mobilize to empower Trans leaders, build safer and stronger communities, and ensure that all gender non-conforming folx can be seen through authentic, diverse, and accurate stories while navigating the world in safety as their full selves. 💪🏾💙💛Trans rights are Ambedkarite values!

3/ Last year alone, 27 gender-expansive folx lost their lives through violent means. Anti-Trans violence especially impacts Black and Brown Trans women. Today and every day, we celebrate all Trans people everywhere to combat disinformation, oppression, Transphobia, and hate.

2/ On Trans Day of Remembrance, we celebrate and uplift the lived experiences of Trans people and the countless contributions they have made to our movements, while also drawing attention to the dangerous barrage of transphobic legislation being introduced across the country.

1/ 🏳️‍⚧️To our Trans siblings on this Transgender Day of Remembrance: we value you and your resilience, and we stand in solidarity with you in fighting against the violence and discrimination that gender-expansive folx unfairly and constantly experience.

3/ 📣“Understanding these attacks is essential for safeguarding democracy and ensuring that communities can participate in politics without fear”, states our Executive Director, Thenmozhi Soundararajan.

2/📊The study tracks the rise of Islamophobia, xenophobia, red-baiting/anti-working-class narratives, and anti–South Asian disinformation, providing the most comprehensive picture to date of how hate campaigns are shaping political discourse in the US.

1/🚨Our new report, “Tracing Online Hate Against Zohran Mamdani”, exposes the massive scale of hate, disinformation, and coordinated narrative attacks targeting mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani during the 2025 New York City Mayoral Race.

Access the report: www.equalitylabs.org/research/pub...

2/ "Reflecting on the recognition, Soundararajan said the award is meaningful because it links her contemporary struggle with historical reform movements."

Thenmozhi Soundararajan Wins Tamil Nadu Govt's 2025 Vaikom Award Instituted in 2023 in memory of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, the Vaikom Award honours individuals and organisations advancing social equality and justice, with a special focus on anti-caste work.

1/ Check out this coverage from @thewirein.bsky.social on our Executive Director, Thenmozhi Soundararajan receiving this year's Vaikom Award! We are thrilled to see her impact recognized. thewire.in/rights/thenm...

2/ 👏🏾Equality Labs congratulates Ms. Soundararajan on this milestone achievement, which is the result of decades of her unwavering commitment to Dalit feminist activism and anti-caste movement organizing.

1/📣Yesterday, the Tamil Nadu government publicly announced that this year’s prestigious Vaikom Award for social justice will be presented to Equality Labs’ co-founder and Executive Director, Thenmozhi Soundararajan. www.equalitylabs.org/media/2025/1...

What an honor to receive the 2025 Vaikom Award for Social Justice from the Government of Tamil Nadu—in the name and spirit of Periyar.

His legacy calls us to action: end discrimination in all its forms—caste, gender, sexual orientation, religion—and make self-respect a lived reality for everyone.

3/ We celebrate Saheb Kanshi Ram’s contributions to our movement to end caste and empower Dalit-Bahujan peoples. Jai Bhim! 💙💛💙

2/ Saheb Kanshi Ram founded the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti, the All India Backward and Minorities Communities Employees' Federation in 1971, and the Bahujan Samaj Party in 1984.✊🏾 His political career was dedicated to ending caste oppression.✊🏾

1/ Today we remember Saheb Kanshi Ram, an influential Indian politician who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Dalit-Bahujan communities. He pushed back against caste discrimination by mobilizing caste-oppressed peoples to take political action.

4/ Learn more about Azaadi’s breathtaking work here: www.penandbrush.org/exhibition/t...

3/ An illustrated catalogue is included in the exhibit, featuring essays by prominent voices on South Asian feminism, anti-caste activism, and Dalit art. Now more than ever, we need to hear the voices of marginalized artists and activists loud and clear. 📣

2/ In this exhibit, Azaadi’s work spans the artist’s career, celebrating feminist and queer-bodies, specifically through the lens of South Asian identity. This exhibit challenges dominant narratives by centering feminist and decolonial perspectives.

1/ 🎨Celebrate a new and powerful exhibit of paintings featuring Dalit leaders! “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” is an exhibition spotlighting the work of artist and activist Pyaari Azaadi on view from September 25th-December 13th at Pen and Brush NYC.🎨

4/ 💙💛 The popularity of the Satyashodhak Samaj was an inspiring force for Dalit communities to fight for their liberation, and we continue to share Phule’s dream of ending the exploitation of women and caste-oppressed communities. Jai Bhim!

3/ Phule, who was born to a caste-oppressed family, saw the need to expand educational opportunities for marginalized groups. His lived experiences of immense poverty and caste discrimination motivated Phule to advocate for vulnerable communities and promote universal equality.

2/ Satyashodhak Samaj included women, and led by Phule's wife, Savitribai, they fought for women's education, an end to child marriage, and the right of widows to remarry. Satyashodhak Samaj left a lasting impact on Dalit political mobilization and women’s rights. 💪🏾

1/ Today marks the anniversary of Jyotiba Phule’s founding of the social reform society known as Satyashodhak Samaj, which began as a means of addressing caste and gender-based violence and discrimination by focusing on providing education and political access for women and Dalits 💙💛

🌞Join us!🌛Tomorrow, we will be hosting an emergent dharma + political education response to escalating violence & threats in the current moment.

✍️🏾Register here: bit.ly/RootedCommun...

4/ Periyar stated, “Whomsoever I love & hate, my principle is the same. That is, the educated, the rich & the administrators should not suck the blood of the poor.” We are grateful for his anti-caste legacy & his passionate battle against gender inequity, poverty, & discrimination.

3/ Periyar was also a radical feminist who worked tirelessly to eliminate child marriage and encouraged women to actively take part in social justice movements and Indian politics. In many ways, Periyar was a revolutionary far ahead of his time.

2/ Periyar founded the Self Respect Movement to promote women's rights and eradication of caste. He pressured the Indian government to abolish untouchability and dedicated his movement to the goal of giving caste-oppressed communities a sense of pride in their Dravidian past.

1/ Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Periyar, a social reformer and activist who fought bravely against gender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu. Now, Periyar's name and image are now recognized across India as symbols of Tamil Dalit political mobilization.

Man accused of beheading Dallas motel manager who told him not to use a broken washing machine Court documents say the suspect became upset after the manager didn’t speak to him directly about the machine but asked a woman to translate.

Our sympathy goes to the family of Chandra Nagamallaiah. We urge for the legal processes to go forward and for an end to this culture of violence. We must address this crisis of hate in our community! www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...