Aana Shenai

By Aana Shenai Environmental justice means ensuring that all people, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic position, have equal access to a safe and healthy environment (EPA 2020).

Hazel M. Johnson, a community organizer and mother who is widely considered to be the matriarch of the environmental justice movement, once wrote: We have to fight for our children. We have educated ourselves on environmental issues and the health threats from the nearby polluting industry. We have not waited for the government to come in and determine the cause of our illness. We may not have Ph.D. degrees, but we are the experts on our community (Holmström 2018).

California State Senator Aisha Wahab has introduced a bill that claims to outlaw caste-based bias in the United States. However, critics argue that the proposed legislation, Senate Bill 403 (SB 403), is not only unnecessary but also insidious and misleading. If passed, the bill could inhibit the ability of American Hindus to live in the nation without fear of discrimination, reprisal, or worse.