ADVOCATE Magazine: the Race Issue

1

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS “A word after a word after a word is power,” wrote Margaret Atwood in A Handmaid’s Tale. Language influences our perceptions of culture, identity, and community and is intertwined in our narratives. For better or worse, it is our way of making ourselves known; its various limitations and destructive potential are the topics of heated debate worldwide. When it comes to race and related social issues, words wield power. They are what connect us and simultaneously divide us in their influence. The tumultuous cultural history of our v vocabulary continues to dictate the moral codes of m

modern society. In its complicated relationship with

power

power structures, language inevitably interacts

asdfghfdwith race.

In

In particular, inherent biases towards

i

minorities are especially evident in the

lanuage u racially

language used to describe them. Recently,

racially demeaning words have come to

domina dominate political discourse in the United States. States. US President Trump has repeatedly used words words such as “Pocahontas” and “Indian” to refer to to Indigenous people and identities during official political discussions. This casual use of derogatory language is symbolic of the larger issue of the dismissal of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour) in majority-white politics.

Similarly, the N-word has historically been used to demean Black people. Originating as a term used to degrade enslaved Black people by their white captors, the slur has taken on new meaning in rap music and hiphop culture. Today, Black folx have reclaimed the N-word along with their identities. When used in its reclaimed sense, the N-word can refer to a friend or peer, rather than its original derogatory meaning.

2 Though this word has been reclaimed, it must only be used by the Black community. Many argue that since the term has been reclaimed, it may be used by everyone. However, when used by non-Black people, the word continues to carry its historical weight, whether or not it is intended as an insult.

Various marginalized communities have reclaimed words that have been used against them in the past. Reclaiming a term used against one’s community is a small way subjugated groups empower themselves against the injustices they have experienced. When these words are used by people who are not part of the marginalized community, they continue to hold their derogatory tones and reinforce the power structure. In fact, racially charged language still exerts tangible influence and harm onto attitudes of race and privilege. Crimes in which racial slurs were used by perpetrators have been shown to be more likely than other crimes to include victim-blaming by the jury. It is imperative that we respect a community’s right to decide how terms used to insult are used by society.

It is abundantly clear that perceptions of racial groups, and thus the treatment of minorities, are profoundly connected to the language used to describe them. Language informs not only social injustice, but also politics, justice and hierarchies. This is why, now more than ever, it is important to weaponize its power as a tool of awareness and empathy. We welcome you to the inaugural issue of ADVOCATE Magazine, with writing spanning activism, history and science, united by a common theme of race.

NEHA LENIN

&

ARMAAN BAMZAI

editors-in-chief

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS racially hazardous

05

love over blood

08

#stophateforprofit

10

colourism in india

14

the pseudo-science behind racism

16

american elitism and racism

18

"this is a movement not a moment"

21

uighurs

23

a "fair" controversy

25

a guide to activism

28

casteism in india

30

4

TEAM Neha Lenin, grade 12

Editor-in-chief

Armaan Bamzai, grade 12

Editor-in-chief

Ira Hrishikesan, grade 9

Content Head

Snigdha Dhameja, grade 10

Content Head

Hemajashri Malireddy, grade 12

Content Head

Isha Singh, grade 11

Junior Editor

Rohini Sarkar, grade 12

Artistic Director

Astha Deep, grade 12

Artistic Director

Avni Palsamudram, grade 9

Illustrator

5

CORONAVIRUS

IS

-

RACIALLY

HAZARDOUS TO EAST ASIANS Hemajashri Malireddy The Coronavirus pandemic is like nothing our

none

other

than

the

generation has ever been through. Everyone

inspired

is susceptible to the infection and potentially,

restaurant in Connecticut receiving racist

death. We all want to be safe and alive, but

phone calls and death threats on April 3rd of

unfortunately the privilege of safety is not

this year .Another incident motivated by racial

something people of East-Asian descent have

hatred was the stabbing of two Asian adults

in countries where they are considered

and their two children by a 19-year-old in

minorities. It is more than unfair that these

Texas on March 14th. Many Asian medical

people have to deal with the racism and

practitioners were also reportedly targeted

xenophobia that comes along with the stress

with physical threats and verbal assaults .

incidents

President

such

as

a

himself Chinese

of the pandemic.

Similar things have been happening in India.

We might have come across insensitive

Northeastern Indians make up a tiny portion

internet memes poking fun at ‘bat soup’.

of our vast population, which makes them

American news channels regularly reported

quite the easy target. The Northeastern states

that Trump was advocating for it to be called

are mainly home to culturally diverse Indians

the "Chinese virus" or the more derogatory

of East-Asian descent, who have mostly

‘Kung

the

stayed isolated from the rest of India, which is

population took that as a green-light to

a part of the reason that they are subject to

engaging in racist behaviour against all

racism

Asians. This open broadcast of racism from

Northeastern region. They are, frankly,

Flu’.

Unfortunately,

some

of

everywhere

outside

of

the

6

underrepresented in Indian movies, TV shows,

Relationships between race and nationality.

advertisements

Nevertheless,

and

popular

culture.

As

even

nationality

is

not

education opportunities and minimum-wage

justification to launch xenophobic attacks.

occupations . Hence, their very existence

Nothing is reason enough to engage in racist

seems to become more insignificant to the

behaviour, because ultimately, human beings

rest of the Indian population.

deserve to be treated as human beings.

Does the Northeastern minority not deserve

Coming back to the present situation with

to be treated as Indian? Sure, one could argue

Coronavirus and its origin story, many have

that India is a relatively young nation, but we

deemed it appropriate to blame and abuse

have never had a Northeastern Prime Minister

Northeast Indians for the spread of the virus.

nor President to represent our country.

In contrast, government records show that the

Imagine

being

Indian,

while

you

first

of

cases

were

not

linked

to

are

Northeastern Indians at all, but to people

repeatedly told to ‘Go back to China’. They are

who had recently travelled to Iran, China or

not even immigrants; they are Indian. (Not to

Italy, from other regions of India.

say that it is okay to speak to an immigrant that way either.) It is high time we stop

On

deluding ourselves into thinking that their

against with racial slurs and demeaning

appearance makes them more deserving of

language, Northeastern Indians are now

mistreatment,

subject to physical abuse, death threats, and

or

less

worthy

of

Indian

top

of

already

isolation.

being

Many

discriminated

citizenship. In the wake of globalisation,

more

people

from

the

people need to stop establishing direct

Northeast come to more urbanised areas and

7 cities with humble backgrounds in search of

It is heartbreaking to not feel welcome in your

an education and a job, making them more

own home that otherwise celebrates your

vulnerable targets of hate crimes. Perhaps

existence as proof of diversity. We want

people are just scared of the uncertainty

everything that the region has to offer, but

created by the pandemic and are taking it out

not the people themselves. That is the

in the unhealthiest way possible. Regardless

definition of exploitation, and it is not fair.

of that, we need unity now more than ever.

We are in the middle of a pandemic, and

Their presence in this country matters, and

people must be made to feel safe in every

they can make more positive contributions to

regard.

Northeastern

Indian society by being more present if we

Indians, deserve to be taunted and punished

empower them to do so. We cannot lay claim

based on their outward appearance.

to all that their culture has to offer if we don't

Nobody,

not

just

embrace them as people of our own. We As a minority community, they'll need more

don't deserve to be called ‘The Indian

attention and support from our end. But it is

Subcontinent'

hypocritical

citizenship of Northeastern Indians.

how

we

Indians

are

more

if

we

cannot

accept

the

educated about the Black Lives Matter movement than the racial politics of our own

If we don't take a stand for them now, they

country. Perhaps, because it is easier to study,

will continue to be victims of abuse and

tweet about and hashtag a movement than

cultural exploitation, even after the pandemic

taking part in one yourself. We need to focus

comes to an end. We need more people to

on matters that are closer to home because

recognise

we may have a better radius of impact in

structure of racism that is being built in our

fighting racism.

community before it is too late.

Don't get me wrong. The Black Lives Matter

We don't need them to tell us that it is hurtful

movement is beautiful, revolutionary and as

to be isolated, given death threats and beaten

inspiring as it is heartbreaking. It is going to

up for the sake of their outward appearances.

give

America,

None of us would want to be subject to such

by

the

inhumane treatment. We need to make all

pandemic. But that is being taken care of by

Indians feel welcome in a home that was

Black people and their allies, while we sit

always theirs.

phenomenal

despite

the

progress

setbacks

to

caused

here, marvelling over the advancements they've made in fighting systemic racism and police brutality. We need to make NorthEastern people feel like they belong in this country, regardless of where they are. We need to be their allies.

the

need

to

deconstruct

the

8 LOVE OVER BLOOD Ananya Mathur Amidst the ubiquitous headlines of how the

Take, for example, the Jallianwala Bagh

entire world has been grappling with the

incident that occurred in 1919. Recollecting

Coronavirus, came out the distinguished

this event sends chills down one's spine;

news of George Floyd's murder on the 25th of

however

May 2020. The crude killing of this 46-year-old

heartbreaking to note that incidents such as

black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota not only

this persist. hough the phrase "with great

wrought uprising in the USA, but also in

power comes great responsibility" is

Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and elsewhere.

fundamental, it seems that some

An allegedly counterfeit twenty-dollar bill and

people holding high ranks do not put

the colour of Floyd's skin were more than

this into practice. A police officer

enough to provoke four police officers, one of

loaded

whom crushed his knee against Floyd’s neck,

dispensation to shoot must

making

be prudent, instead of

Floyd

suffer

until

he

finally

long-gone

with

viewing others

succumbed to brutality.

through the To say that this ordeal caused anger amongst

judgmental

the people of this world would be an

eyeglasses

understatement. Rallies shook the world with

of xenoph-

clamour,

obia.

turmoil,

and

unrest.

Protesters

gathered on the streets of not only America but also elsewhere, to demonstrate against the grave problem of racism and police brutality. This torture made us realize that the war against racism is not over. People will no longer tolerate injustice inflicted upon them.

The merciless killing of George Floyd also brought to light the death of Breonna Taylor, another merciless murder of a 26-year-old African American medical worker, by the police. They intruded her home using a noknock warrant, while she was asleep, having believed that a couple of men used her apartment to receive drug packages. An open fire followed between three police officers and Breonna's partner, leaving her and her ambitions of working as an EMT collapsed with eight bullet wounds. Police brutality is a global issue that has prevailed for decades.

it

may

weaponry

and

seem,

the

it

is

9 They simply cannot afford to take undue advantage of the authority at their disposal.

They simply cannot misuse their position to act

upon

their

personal

beliefs.

Police

brutality can lead to several adverse effects on

a

targeted

race:

anxiety,

depressive

symptoms, insecurity, unsociability, and the formation

of

stereotypes.

The

crimes

committed by certain officers, instead of upholding public safety, end up decreasing the sense of security.

Though

not

all

police

employees

are

intolerant, and most of them perform their duties, it is crucial to come up with innovative solutions to reform the police force. The most important step to take is to provide ordinary people with fair justice. Police brutality should also be classified as a crime; many escape punishment with the protective shield of their positions. This cannot continue at the cost of people of colour. Furthermore, there ought to be

a

set

of

laws

to

circumscribe

the

boundaries of a police officer, authorized by governments of countries. A more practical solution could be to maintain a police malpractice

database

to

keep

track

of

misconduct.

Perhaps the most crucial reform we can bring about is spreading compassion and empathy for fellow human beings. Nelson Mandela rightly said, "love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite," and thus people must learn to make efficient usage of their hearts and minds to care and defend their brethren, instead of letting their blood trickle. People must learn to let go of minor wrongdoings. People must learn to stand for love over blood.

10 #

STOPHATEFORPROFIT:

CALLING FOR CHANGES IN THE AD

SPACE

TO

SPREAD OF HATE Ira Navneet Hrishikesan The rise of social media platforms is probably the most remarkable advancement of the 4th industrial revolution during the last 15 years.

These platforms are now one of the most widely used methods of communication; for example, according to a 2018 survey from the Pew Research Center, adults aged 18 to 29 in the US are more likely to get news via social media than print newspapers or news sites.

They also report a higher online presence than any other age demographic. We are in the era mass communication, and there is rising concern that, in many cases, the content which users are exposed to is often going unregulated.

For example, George Floyd's murder has led to

re-energized

discussions

on

racial

discrimination and the role of social media platforms in propagating the problem or spreading

awareness

against

them.

The

tension is a long-standing one, incorporating questions relating to how we can allow the freedom of speech to trump the rights of others; or where the freedom of speech ends when somebody's freedoms begin. As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "It is in this context that the

#StopHateforProfit

movement

has

arisen." It is a movement which started in the USA, trying to hold social media companies like Facebook accountable for not taking enough action to stop the spread of hate speech ends when somebody's freedoms

IMPACT

THE

11 begin. As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "It is in

A few highlights are:

this

#StopHateforProfit

Appointing senior executives with a civil

movement has arisen." It is a movement

rights background to review and evaluate

which started in the USA, trying to hold social

policies relating to discrimination, bias, hate

media companies like Facebook accountable

and radicalization.

for not taking enough action to stop the

Establishing a civil rights infrastructure within

spread of hate speech on its platform. It all

the organization and conducting regular

started with President Trump's comment

independent, third-party audits to review the

'when the looting starts, the shooting starts',

material and disclose the results and steps

which attempted to justify violence against

being taken.

some

Ensuring politicians are not exempted from

context

that

protestors.

the

This

racist

comment

enraged many people, especially since it was

the spread of hate speech.

coming from someone so influential. The statement

was,

infamously

In summary, the movement wants to hold

remembered as one of the many racist

Facebook responsible for all content on its

phrases

the

platform and, while their intentions are

American Civil Rights movement with Martin

honourable, they have been criticized for

Luther King Jr. at the forefront.

being very vague and unrealistic.

Facebook's non-interference in removing this

Despite criticisms, however, by July 2020,

comment from its platform only did more to

more

anger the people further.

committed to joining the boycott to support

used

in

in

the

the

past,

1960s

during

than

a

thousand

companies

had

the #StopHateforProfit movement. Some of The #StopHateforProfit movement aims to

the (many) recognizable companies included

convince advertisers to stop advertising on

Adidas,

Facebook and hence hurt the company

Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Dunkin' Donuts,

financially.

Ford,

The

bodies

which

initiated

the

Ben

&

Fossil,

Jerry's,

the

Hershey,

Intercontinental

Hotels,

Honda, Lego,

HP, Levi's,

Lululemon,

Color

(National

Microsoft, Mozilla, North Face, Patagonia,

Association for the Advancement of Colored

Pepsi, Pfizer, Puma, Reebok, SAP, Siemens,

People),

Starbucks, Sony Interactive Entertainment,

Change,

ADL

NAACP

(Anti-Defamation

League),

Target,

Sense Media. On June 17th, they urged

amongst an incredible number of others, as

companies to stop associating themselves

well as NGOs encouraging inclusivity and civil

with Facebook, unless Facebook addressed

rights.

As a first step, the movement leaders put together some approaches that Facebook should take to deal with hate speech.

Vans

and

Mars,

Sleeping Giants, Free Press, and Common

the prevalence of racism on its platform.

Unilever,

Pictures,

Shop,

#StopHateforProfit movement include the Of

Magnolia

Body

Volkswagen,

12 The bigger question arises, however, as to

Minister of Denmark, a former editor of The

whether this approach is fair. Some of the

Guardian

problems

luminaries

with

the

#StopHateforProfit

approach are as below:

newspaper

and

including

many

those

other

with

a

background in the law and civil rights advocacy.

Should Facebook be held responsible for the content which appears on its platform? This

One of the members of the Oversight Board,

content is provided by its users, and not the

from India, is the Vice-Chancellor of the

company itself. Facebook doesn't publish the

National Law School of India, Dr Sudhir

content - they are a platform. So, the

Krishnaswamy. I interviewed him via email on

comments and hateful posts usually reflect

the premise behind setting up this body.

the views of its users, not the company.

According

to

Oversight

Board

Dr

Krishnaswamy,

will

and

make

"The

independent

Secondly, the sheer volume of comments

transparent

posted on Facebook makes it an extremely

moderation decisions for Instagram and

challenging task to review hate-inciting ones,

Facebook. We will receive appeals from users

let alone change them.

and

references

well-reasoned

from

content

Facebook

and

Instagram. Our role is to apply Facebook and Thirdly, even if Facebook agrees to regulate

Instagram Standards and Values as well as

hate-speech,

International Human Rights standards to

would

everybody

be

comfortable with a company deciding what is

arrive at the right decisions in these cases."

acceptable to post? We are asking a tech-

Dr Krishnaswamy agrees that this is a difficult

giant (previously involved in data privacy

area to deal with: "Hate speech issues pose a

scandals) to define hate-speech and the limits

particular

of censorship. This line is hazy, which even

governments

governments and public bodies themselves

committed to protecting the freedom of

often struggle with, to find the politically

speech of all persons irrespective of their

correct language.

viewpoint and style of expression. So often,

problem alike.

to We

companies are

and

generally

we have to defend free speech rights, even There is genuine concern around what

where we disagree with the views expressed."

Facebook is willing and able to do on content that is hate speech. However, despite these

There is no doubt that the #StopHateforProfit

barriers, the company has started taking

movement is essential. In a society with deep

steps to try and regain the trust it may have

divisions

lost.

dissemination of social media, we must build

in

addition

to

the

widespread

a proper framework that allows us to not only Facebook has set up an Oversight Board

stop illegal acts but, also protect the dignity

staffed by individuals, not connected to the

and moral worth of an individual.

company, which includes a former Prime

13 The

current

equilibrium freedom

challenge between

of

is

the

speech

and

to

find

protection

an of

hate-speech

censorship. As Dr Krishnaswamy himself puts it, "These cases require careful balancing of conflicting interests and deep enquiry into the motivations of speakers and the social and political history and context of the society in which such speech occurs. These biases can make regulating hate speech hard, but an important thing to do."

For now, it is unclear whether the movement will continue engaging with Facebook or whether they will start targeting other social media platforms in their attempt to bring about change.

What is clear, however, is that this is an issue whose time has come, although it will still require all of us to pull in the same direction to ensure we can undo years of social discrimination and bias. Social media is, no doubt, the most powerful way to bring change in these socially distant times.

14 COLOURISM

IN

INDIA:

A

HISTORICAL EVALUATION Snigdha Dhameja Of all the prejudices and biases in India,

Sultanate,

who

colourism remains as one of the most

Invasion

prevalent forms of discrimination. From

introduced new European ideals to our society.

fairness creams to an innate sense of shame

Today’s India is a melange of different cultures,

over one’s skin tone, its eradication seems

beliefs and ideas, all influenced by its intrinsic

elusive. But where did this social hierarchy

past. However, a rigid, colour-based power

begin, where being fair-skinned was an

dynamic was enforced as India became a place

advantage?

that was constantly ruled by lighter-skinned

by

the

came

from

Portuguese

Central and

Asia.

British

people, and a silent understanding of this India’s rich and diverse history brims with

hierarchy ingrained itself in the Indian mind.

tales of foreign rulers and invaders, who brought parts of their own culture to our

Ancient Indian settlements consisted of the

colourful one. However, our country has

noble immigrant population called the Aryans,

been called home by many from far-off

and tribal settlements. The former migrated

lands; it was a vast empire ruled by the

from Central Asia at around 1500 BCE, and are

Mughals and the rulers of the Delhi

believed to have put an end of the Indus Valley

15 Civilisation. The Vedas provide a mythical

years rooted and exacerbated colourism in

record of the conflict between the Aryans and

Indian society, which still rears its ugly head

the tribal settlements, over territory, capital

many years after independence.

and cattle. Both parties were distinguished based on their colour and appearance in the

With the rise of the Black Lives Matter

Rig Veda. Moreover, the statements in the Rig

movement, India’s deep history of colourism

Veda show that the darker-skinned tribes

is

were oppressed while the fair-skinned Aryans

magnification with caste, gender, financial

enjoyed positions of power.

status and other forms of division. The

brought

to

notice,

as

well

as

its

systemic bias that plagues our country, Around 712 AD, Muslim rulers came to India

stemmed from thousands of years of foreign

and ruled under the Delhi Sultanate, until it

rule was, until recently, fuelled by the sale of

was annexed by the Mughals in the First

fairness

Battle of Panipat. The Muslim and Mughal

European beauty ideals by the film industry.

rulers had much lighter skin as compared to

While the bias, power dynamic and obsession

the population of India then, helping water

with skin colour have been a part of Indian

the seeds sown by the Aryans millennia ago.

society for thousands of years, today’s India

creams

and

advertisement

of

strives to unlearn the past prejudices that Colourism in India bloomed fervently under

stemmed from foreign rule. We may not be

its colonization by the British. When they

able to change the past or get rid of the

arrived in the late 1600s to set up the East

mistakes that were made centuries ago by

India Company, discrimination and division

our predecessors. We cannot erase what has

began based on skin colour. The British

happened, but rather learn from it. By

considered themselves to be a superior race

renewing

who possessed higher intellect. Winston

sustainable and inclusive environment for

Churchill’s infamous remark, “I hate Indians,

people of all cultures and colours, India will

they are a beastly people with a beastly

take a step forward. It will empower, not hold

religion”

they

people accountable. It will appreciate and

racist

validate the diversity of the masses. The skin

behaviour portrayed, lighter-skinned Indians

tone hierarchy will fade, and colourism will

were

become a remnant of our past that is best left

possessed.

exemplifies While

treated

as

the

there

allies

mindset was

and

also

were

not

discriminated against as much as darkskinned Indians. The latter was left to do menial jobs and were given fewer advantages than light-skinned Indians.

As the British began to slowly take over India, the ideology and misconception that being fair

was

better

spread

throughout

the

country. British rule for more than a hundred

behind.

our

ideals

and

creating

a

16 THE

PSEUDO-SCIENCE

AND

IDEOLOGIES BEHIND RACISM Vyom Kumar Throughout the course of history there have

encouraged slave owners to send enslaved

been various attempts to justify racism, to

people to attend separate sermons, where pro-

justify the heinous acts of exploitation

slavery citations from the Bible were used to

against people of colour. As some ideas were

promote docility and obedience amongst

made obsolete, new arguments evolved in

them. They quoted texts from Ephesians and

an effort to continue taking advantage of

Colossians, like ‘slave obey thy earthly master’

people of colour.

which

were

self-serving

interpretations.

However, as many enslaved people converted One of the earliest means to justify and

to Christianity, this justification became bipolar,

promote slavery and racism was religion. The

in

Church declared slavery to be an act

indoctrinate enslaved people. On the other

ordained by God, thus accounting for any

hand, it rendered any religious justification

and all acts of injustice against people of

moot as one Christian could not have bias

colour. Not only did they justify it, but they

against another as they are the same beliefs.

some

cases

it

provided

a

means

to

17

This in turn led to the development of biological

studies

to

continue

this

enslavement.

Even though religious argumentation for racism never went entirely out of use, scientific justification was au courant from the 1800s. In the 19th century, with the publication of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, his mention of "survival of the fittest" and other terms, were misinterpreted and used to give grounds for the oppression of people of

colour.

The

hypocrisy

of

this

misconception is that humankind originated in present day South Africa. If science was to be used to justify racism, one would find that we are one species. But as the Sumatran tiger differs from the Bengal tiger, the same way

people

who

evolved

in

different

surroundings, differ, albeit phenotypically.

From the 16th to 19th century, even before science was being used as a tool for justification, humans were being classified into races— Savage (Africans and Asians with the exception of the Chinese), Semi-Civilized (Chinese)

and

Civilized

(Europeans).

Furthermore, in the 1800s, Robert Knox in The Races of Man tried to link popular opinions and prejudices to science, linking intelligence with race. This is evidence of incorrect application of science in a ’maniere polemique’ to advocate racism.

Various ideologies were propagated and popularised to legitimize slavery, oppression, and perpetual exploitation. “Means are as important as the ends” said Gandhiji, this is a classic case of convoluting the means to justify the ends.

"If origin defines race, then the entire human race is African.”

- Abhijit Naskar

18 AMERICAN ELITISM AND RACISM: HOW

THE

IVY

CREATING

A

LEAGUES

ARE

BUBBLE

OF

PRIVILEGE Isha Singh The world of elite Ivy League campuses is

world are questioning the actions of the Ivy

one filled with historical glory as well as

League universities to address their

prestigious educational opportunities, yet

historical

behind the Ivory gates, many still wrestle

achieving true diversity and inclusion in their

with their deep-rooted ties to structural

admission process and student policies.

connection

with

racism

and

in

racism.

Highly selective colleges, epitomized by the Ivy The recent Black Lives Matter protests have

League,

prompted the much needed

enrollment stagnating increasingly. As an

re-examination policies

of

everywhere,

racial from

attitudes family

and

dinner

are

seeing

African-American

example, consider the student

bodies

of

Princeton

and

Cornell

tables to the halls of Congress. This fight for

University, of which only 8% are African

racial justice has also spread to the hallowed

Americans. This is partially the product of

all of America's most esteemed institutions

historic discrimination as these statistics

of higher education. Students around the

were true even in 1984, where Harvard’s

19 freshman class welcomed only 8% African-

selected group of 5 private schools, limiting

American and Multi-racial students. Even

the possibility of African-Americans and low-

worse, this minority of African-Americans are,

income students entering the Ivy

admitted primarily from elite private and

League gates even more. Out of the 70% of

boarding schools like Phillips Exeter.

African-American and Hispanic students

These private schools provide their students

in the New York City school system, only 3%

with access to ACT/ SAT prep tutors,

get the chance to enter elite

college counsellors and small class sizes

universities.

while lower income students lack any kind of facilities. It is no surprise that 1 out of every

Despite Brown v. Board of Education making

20 undergraduate students at

racial segregation in public schools

Princeton University are only accepted for a

unconstitutional in 1954, there still lies a huge gap in the college admission process.

If we were to consider the students who

achieving students in the United States alone

come from the bottom 20% of the financial

as stated by Caroline Hoxby and Christopher

ladder and enter colleges like Harvard and

Avery in their study -The Missing

Yale, they end up doing very well. Over

“One-Offs�. So the question arises - why did

half of them go from families in the poorest

Harvard’s class of 2013 comprise only

fifth of the American economy, to being

4.5% of low income and African American

part of the top income earners. The problem,

students? At elite colleges, such as Princeton

however, lies in the numbers. There

and Harvard, more than half of the student

are at least 35,000 low-income high

body comes from the wealthiest 5% of families.

20 Meanwhile, low-income, African-American or Hispanic students are relegated to the outside track. The difference in resources leads to wildly divergent results.

Yet, for some, not all hope is lost as the fight for racial equality seems stronger than ever before. Recently, following a wave of protests growing in the streets and on campus, Princeton University announced the removal of President Woodrow Wilson’s name from the institution’s School of Public and International Affairs to break ties with Wilson’s history of racism.

This is just the beginning. Equality cannot be achieved solely through reforming elite universities. Many of these structural barriers begin in the student’s social environment.

It

is

the

environment

of

children’s houses and schools where these budding elites develop their patterns of interactions and racial ideology. That is, a child brought up in a household where ideas of elitism and racism are promoted frames his or her interactions and views of race in disjointed ways due to their upbringing. While we must continuously push schools like the Ivy Leagues to make changes to admissions practices, we must also reflect on how we act and engage within our own communities.

21 “THIS

IS

A

MOVEMENT

NOT

A

MOMENT” Isha Singh TThese words come from Alicia Garza, an

To the millions of African-Americans, she has

American civil rights activist fighting at the

become the movement’s leading voice for

forefront

dignity and fairness. Her many achievements

of

the

Black

Lives

Matter

movement.

include being named on The Root’s 2016 list of “100

African

American

Achievers

and

In the wake of the brutal and unjust deaths

Influencers” and the 2016 Glamour “Women of

of George Floyd and many other African-

the Year Award” primarily for her tremendous

Americans at the hands of the police,

work in BLM. Additionally, Garza has lent her

America’s civil rights movement organized

voice to the discrimination and violence faced

under the rallying cry of “Black Lives Matter”

by

is more powerful than ever. Alicia Graza

importantly,

explains “Seven years ago, we were treated

woman, Garza’s intersectional leadership and

like we were too radical, too out of the

ork challenges the misconception that only

bounds of what is possible, and now,

African American men encounter violence.

countless lives later, it’s finally seen as

When

relevant.” Alicia Garza, along with Opal

became catalysts for the emergence of the

Tometi and Patrisse Cullors, co-founded this

BLM movement, Garza is clear: In order to truly

powerful movement to open a long overdue

understand how devastating and widespread

discussion

state-

this type of violence is in Black America, we

sanctioned violence and the oppression of all

must view this epidemic through a lens of race,

Black people.

gender and gender identity.

about

the

anti-Black

African-American as

a

discussing

LGBTQ

queer

the

people.

Most

African-American

tragic

deaths

that

22 Since the rise of the BLM movement, Garza has become a powerful voice in the media featuring on news outlets such as The Guardian, Elle.com, and The New York Times.

In Alicia Garza’s view “Black lives matter” is so simple and yet so complex. To her, it is a very direct assertion of both a problem and a solution at the same time. As she says in her words “Here we are seven years later, and I think what's become clear is that some of the discomfort with this statement is that it forces you to choose sides. You can't say some Black lives matter or they kind of matter or they matter sometimes. The statement asks you, do you believe Black lives matter? And if so, is that the world that we live in right now? And if not, what are we going to do to close the gap there?”

Changing the views of an entire society is not an easy task, especially those so rooted in their beliefs and traditions. Yet, we have been given a voice. Alicia Garza is one of the brave women who raised her voice against the blatant racial hate flooding our daily lives.

We are in a position where we could help our Black brothers and sisters, we can amplify their words and shed light on the struggles they face in their own communities. We can learn to be better; we have to be better.

Society cannot allow itself to discriminate and hate without any reasoning, without seeking to change mindsets that have remained unchanged for decades.

23 UIGHURS Annika Verma

“He kicked me in the back, while beating me

being forced to take pills which would make

with a stick”. This was all Zambrat Duwat, a

her numb, depriving her of her senses. She is

survivor of the brutal and repressive regime

only one in many innocent civilians belonging

of Xinjiang, could say before breaking down

to the Uighur culture to be subjected to such

in tears. She was brutally beaten and

brutality. “Who are the Uighurs?” is a question

tortured in a detention camp, just because

that emerges in our minds after reading this.

she was a “Uighur.” n a revealing interview

The Uighurs are mostly a Muslim Turkic

with BBC, she said she was called to a police

ethnicity who regard themselves as ethnically

station after which she was taken to prison,

and culturally close to central Asian countries.

to be tortured. Amidst tears she spoke about

The majority live in the Chinese province of

24 Xinjiang, with their population in the province

attack left 31 people dead in Uruqumi. In

being 11 million.

response to this the Chinese authorities tightened their grip on the Uighurs. A former

Over

the

past

government

has

few

years,

gradually

the

Chinese

stripped

detainee who was sentenced to 2 years of

the

prison for travelling abroad said the detainees

community of their rights and freedoms.

who received longer sentences broke down

University students in Xinjiang informed the

sobbing. Despite her short sentence she says

BBC in 2014 that fasting during the holy

she has lost all hope, “I’ll be dead in two

month of Ramadan was strictly prohibited. In

years.”

2017 the Chinese president said, “religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and

Even their children haven’t escaped the

adapt themselves to the socialist society”.

brutal Chinese treatment. The government is

While the Uighur culture fails to abide by this

trying to eradicate the Uighur identity by

directive Chinese authorities created a vast

targeting children. While their parents are

network of ‘re-education camps’ to rid China

detained they are taken to government run

of

they

orphanages and forced to swear their loyalty

seemingly treat as a disease. These camps are

to CCP and idolise Xi Jinping as god. Over

gradually aiming to wipe out the language,

500,000 Children are held in these “boarding

culture and religion of the Uighurs. The

facilities”.

horrors

reported missing by their families.

the

Uighur

of

population

internment

are

which

infused

with

Several

of

which

have

been

monotony and boredom. It is believed that so far, a million Uighurs have been detained in

The

international

education camps. The Chinese authorities

notice of China’s abusive regime towards

claim that these camps were built to fight

Uighurs. In July 2020 UK warned China of

‘extremist ideas’ which they believe breed

imposing sanctions upon it due to it’s human

primarily within the Uighur population, and

rights violations. Amnesty and human rights

provide them with Uighurs with ‘valuable

watch

skills.’

imprisonment and torture. US secretary of

have

community

accused

China

has

of

taken

mass

state Mike Pompeo has urged “all nations to The Chinese authorities have given legitimate

join the United States in demanding an end

reasons for persecution of the Uighurs. The

to these dehumanizing abuses.” Despite the

most prominent reason being, that they are

efforts of the international community the

worried

extremism.

Uighurs are subjected to brutality. It is high

Following decades of political and cultural

time the world takes strict action against this

discrimination and state-sponsored migration

issue, giving it the attention it needs.

about

the

Uighur

of the Han Chinese to Xinjiang , widespread unhappiness has often turned into violent acts. In 2009 ethnic riots in Uruqumi. This uprising left 140 dead. In 2014 a terrorist

25 A "FAIR" CONTROVERSY Ira Navneet Hrishikesan India is a land of cultural and ethnic diversity.

the part of foreigners. They point to the

An enormous landscape, densely populated,

existence

with a flow of different languages and

discriminations

religions within a rich historical legacy. You

various castes or 'Varnas' are an important part

would not be wrong if you described India as

of the caste structure. 'Varna' means not just

a land of many lands, amalgamated into one

caste but also complexion. Also, in many cases,

nation.

the lowest castes and various mythological

of

the

caste

system

embedded

within

and

the

it.

The

demons were often portrayed as being very This mixture was perhaps why our founders

dark-skinned; a possible sign of the presence of

inserted certain rights into our Constitution,

the

guaranteeing that Indians would not be

homegrown or imported, the problem of

discriminated against based on their caste,

colorism is very much an Indian one.

color

bias.

In

any

case,

whether

religion, or color. Nevertheless, as with much of

human

nature,

this

remains

an

So, why is this a problem? The main problem

aspirational goal in many ways. India is guilty

with colorism is the prejudice against people

of certain discriminations that are especially

for something that they cannot change. These

prominent in the nation, although they do occur in other countries as well.

One such basis for discrimination is colorism.

You might ask, what exactly does colorism mean? Colorism is similar to racism, except that colorism is discrimination that occurs based on skin color, as opposed to race.

Historians have different views on why this is the case in India. Some believe that foreign occupiers from colder climes and hence with fairer skin were the cause for the emergence of colorism in India. They point to the fact that some of India's indigenous Hindu gods like Shiva and Krishna had dark skin and also that many famous characters from the old mythologies, skinned

and

like

Draupadi,

beautiful.

were

However,

darkothers

argue that India's colorist heritage may have simply been a part of India's people's cultural heritage, rather than it has arrived in India on

26 prejudices mostly exist against those with

The harmful effects of these products don't

darker skin-tones, with set ideas as to their

stop at health, though. Even more toxic and

competency, beauty, or intelligence. In other

disturbing are the effects these products have

words, the common conception is that, in

on the psyche of countless generations of

India, you are better off fair-skinned. An

Indians. One of the most controversial brands is

example of this mindset is when brides are

Fair and Lovely, a product of Unilever. Since its

always projected as to be fair or pale-

launch in 1978, it has become one of the most

skinned. According to Professor Hirudayaraj

popular brands on the market and one of the

at the Rochester Institute of Technology, it is

biggest sources of revenue for the company.

easier to find jobs if you have fairer skin.

Besides

the

evident

inequality,

There

is

some

hope,

though.

Awareness

discrimination of this sort can often also lead

against colorism in society came to the

to depression, loneliness, insecurity, and

limelight in 2009, when two slogans, "Dark and

ultimately a lowered self-esteem.

Lovely", and the hashtag, "#UnfairandLovely", went viral on social media. It did not have too

Equally

troubling

are

the

that

much of an impact on the sales of these

businesses use this societal pressure to

fairness products but helped raise the issue in

increase

their

our color-conscious country.

industry

has

revenues. often

ways

The

been

cosmetics

criticized

for

exploiting colorism and turning the sales of

In 2020, the death of George Floyd has brought

skin-lightening products, which prey upon

systemic racism into focus. With tensions

colorism, into a multi-billion-dollar industry.

rising, and calls for introspection on issues

Some companies in the industry including

related to discrimination based on color and

Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and L'OrĂŠal are

race, the issue of colorism has also come to the

accused

forefront of discussions in the media. The

of

advertisements

intentionally

person

global Black Lives Matter movement has made

becoming more successful as soon as they

it difficult for companies to continue as before,

use their products to lighten their skin tone.

and

The message is simple: "Fairness means

marketing strategies they have used for their

beauty, success, and happiness". Besides

products. Unilever and L'OrĂŠal have both

being

the

announced that they will change the name of

bleach-based

their products. Fair and Lovely will now be

ingredients that are unhealthy. The World

called "Glow and Lovely". Johnson & Johnson,

Health Organization (WHO) has warned that

on the other hand, has announced that they

some of the ingredients used to make these

will stop manufacturing their fairness line of

'skin

products.

ethically

products

that

producing

show

troubling,

also

include

whitening'

a

some

products

of

including

chemicals and metals, such as mercury, can be extremely damaging to the long-term health of an individual.

some

are

now

reconsidering

the

27

Some consider this change in approach by these multinationals to be a positive thing.

However,

others

question

whether

the

change in mindset is genuine if it is just another way to continue with the same methods, considering that the ingredients, and hence the purpose of selling these creams, will continue to remain the same. Is this progress?

The fear is that people will still buy the creams for their "whitening" properties. The only difference is that the perpetuation of the color bias will become more subtle, in advertising or otherwise. Will the barriers that exist for those with darker skin-tones melt away or rather become slightly more hidden?

Will

the

message

of

advertisements

genuinely change, if the ads still use fair women to project the image of a 'beautiful' and successful person? Or are we simply repainting

the

same

principles

need

to

with

a

different color?

Ultimately,

we

discuss

these

perceptions as a society and look at how we can spread awareness of the hidden side of this discrimination. Beauty does not exist because of a fair skin tone. Beauty or talent should not be limited only to the color of the top layer of your skin. We should move the conversation to the inner beauty and abilities that each one of us has within ourselves.

That is the challenge that all of us must take on.

Every skin tone is beautiful and it is time more of us to start appreciating these differences.

28 A GUIDE TO ACTIVISM Hemajashri Malireddy In

popular

culture,

activism

is

often

associated with extremism, but this does not

Here is a list of simple things you can do to up your activism.

reflect reality. What activism truly means is that you are advocating for change by

1. Acknowledge your privilege. Perhaps the good

stepping up or pushing back against for a

thing about privilege is that people do have a platform to start the fight for equality and

cause that you believe in. We are usually exposed

to

Grassroots

activism,

against

where

structural

privilege.

Moreover,

by

accepting your relatively privileged status, you

people with little to no institutional power

will be able to put yourself in other's shoes and

fight for social change by drawing their

realize how severe the need for change is, find

strength from numbers. A simple example

compassion, and be an ally.

could be a protest, parade, or even an

2.

Study

your

immediate

societal

structure.

Activism cannot be the same around the world.

internet hashtag.

One way that life could lead you to activism is when you've found social injustice, not only for yourself but also for those around you.

Every country, every city, and every culture has a different hierarchal structure, a different degree of

power

inequity,

or

discrimination,

and

therefore, the urgency for reform varies. It would

If you're looking to be an

be more efficient for activists to create change

activist, this magazine is the

and

perfect

surroundings,

place

to

start,

movements

in

their

pressuring

immediate

their

immediate

because we'll be discussing

prejudices mostly exist against those with darker

a lot of social issues, offering

skin-tones,

different

perspectives,

hopefully enabling you to recognize

social

inequity,

and become a social warrior yourself.

with

set

ideas

as

to

their

compinstitutions of power. Not to say that one shouldn't be aware and educated about pressing social issues around the world.

29 3.

4.

Ask yourself about your core values. Why do

Be persuasive and rally as many people as you

you want to fight for this cause? Usually

can. There is strength in numbers (grassroots

finding a personal connection to it can help

activism); a team of activists is better than a lone

you stay motivated. A central argument of all

ranger.

societal bodies seeking reform is that no one

8. Activism, at its best, is paired with education

should be discriminated against based on

and awareness. This is a broad statement.

their central identities. We see it in the

Knowledge can be ubiquitously used when it

feminist movement, the BLM movement, the

comes to activism. It can be used to empower a

fight for secularism, trans-activism, castism in

marginalized group, debunk a social stigma,

India, and so on. If not from a marginalized

deflate

social body yourself, ponder whether you see

discrimination (e.g. eugenics), study the legal

it right for one to discriminate based on

implications

colorism, sex, or social hierarchy.

personal rights, push for law reform and devise

Share your story. Connect with people and let

logical plans to obtain your intended goals.

yourself be vulnerable because no one feels strong and up to call for change if they are the

5.

7.

9.

arguments of

your

used protest,

to

defend

learn

about

Stand with the marginalized. Even if it's a culture, religion, caste, or just a classmate.

only ones being discriminated against. Let

10. Build your confidence. As an activist, you are

them know that you are here, and you will

bound to face a lot of setbacks. An activist is not

fight together. Destigmatise sharing stories of

an all-powerful superhuman/social vigilante, but

abuse, discrimination, and injustice, because

a human being who is just as vulnerable as the

it is not something you should be ashamed of.

rest. Know that confidence is not expected of

Know that you can be subject to implicit bias.

you from the get-go, but never give up your

It is human nature, and no matter how

fight on social justice. Confidence is acquired by

unbiased we try to be, we fail because we

putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and

survive on intuitive thinking. Nevertheless,

overcoming them.

this is about reflecting upon your thoughts and behavior, because we may not know our

An activist is someone who questions

implicit biases unless we consciously try to

power,

look for them. Implicitly, we all subscribe to gender, racial and cultural stereotypes; but dissect your thoughts and actions before getting defensive.

6.

Hypocrisy.

The

only

time

hypocrisy

is

acceptable is when you eat junk food after you tell your friend it is unhealthy. (It's easier to look out for others in that regard, right?)

We all probably have been that person who was moping about "why nobody is doing anything about this". As budding activists, it is common to feel powerless. But one day you have to be a "somebody that does something about this".

privilege,

and

existing

social

structures. There is no better time to begin breaking

questionable

down than now.

societal

barriers

30 CASTEISM

IN

INDIA

PREVALENCE

AND

IN

ITS

MODERN

SOCIETY Pranav Govil When you live in 2020, amid a society which

given point of time. Depending on the empires

prides itself on being “progressive” and

that ruled the majority of India at any time, the

“woke,” you’d think that a system that holds

policies and rules changed. Some of them, like

its roots in 1500 BCE probably wouldn’t be

the Later Mughals, enforced very strict caste-

prevalent today. However, that isn’t exactly

based

the case.

Sultanate, allowed the system to be fairly fluid.

The Origin of the Indian Caste System The caste system among Hindus originated somewhere around 1500 BCE. Initially, it was simply a division based on tribal distinctions, but eventually, became a lot more rigid, stemming out into four class-based distinctions. The Brahmanas (priests) and Kshatriyas (warriors) were regarded as the “elite” class. The Vaishyas were regarded as the “common man”, while Shudras were regarded as the lower class.

This system went through several changes over thousands of years. Skin colour and social status played a large role in shaping the ideologies of the caste system. Those who

were

associated

dark with

skinned the

lower

were

usually

castes,

and

subsequently given little to no social value or respect. People’s social status was primarily defined by their occupation. Blacksmiths, labourers, and farmers were few of the occupations that were deemed “lowly” and associated with the lower castes.

The rigidity of the system fluctuated over the years, with people conveniently deciding just how colourist or classist they chose to be at a

rules,

while

some,

like

the

Delhi

31 After years of inequality and injustice, the

to a certain extent, it also creates an incentive

British came along and restructured the

to further societal stratification. To this date, in

caste system in a manner that furthered the

several regions across the country, including

incentive

discrimination.

parts of urban India too, ridiculous caste-based

They equated the castes of India with the

norms which were established hundreds of

social classes in England.

years

for

caste-based

ago,

are

indoctrinated.

People from upper classes were constantly

backward

favoured

“uneducated”,

for

job

opportunities

and

still

followed,

People

classes

still

with

“immoral”

or

rather,

associate

qualities and

the

such

as

“unclean”.

administrative positions. Social exclusion of

Practices such as inter-caste marriages are

those

openly

looked down upon and often lead to honour

practiced by the British, while they also

killings (murder of a family member, due to the

baselessly deemed certain classes as “prone

perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought

to criminal tendencies.” Lower classes were

shame or dishonour upon the family).

from

lower

classes

was

also denied land rights and land inheritance, thus creating economic barriers between the

Caste-Based Abuse in India

different classes.

Taking caste-based abuse into perspective, let’s focus on one caste in particular: the Dalits,

The Caste System as We See It Today

who fall under the Scheduled Caste category,

Today,

supposed

which as mentioned earlier, is one of the “lower

“independence” and “freedom,” caste-based

classes”. Dalits are constantly subjected to

discrimination

violence and other human rights abuses.

73

years

later,

the

continues

to

exist,

masquerading as social alienation, police brutality and societal norms.

In large parts of rural India, Dalits are often

In 1955, the Indian government classified

denied

lower castes into three categories: Scheduled

rights by officials and landlords who may be

Castes,

Other

upper-caste Hindus. These officials are usually

Backward Classes, on the basis of their socio-

prejudiced against Dalits due to their own

economic status. Several legal reforms have

caste and religion, or often influenced by a

been made in favour of the “lower castes”,

higher authority with similar prejudices.

Scheduled

Tribes

and

wages,

accommodation,

and

land

but have resulted in unintended paradoxical consequences.

Dalit

groups

often

protest

against

these

discriminatory practices. The officials, along The

government

and

with police officers, respond to these protests

reservations up to 27% for people from

with retaliatory violence, mass killings, and

Backward Classes in public sectors and

looting in many instances. One such incident

higher education institutions, in a bid to

was the “2012 Dharmapuri Violence” in Tamil

reduce

Nadu, wherein a Dalit movement which aimed

the

offers

inequality

quotas

faced

by

these

communities.While this does effect change

to increase solidarity between higher and

32 lower castes, was met with violent retaliation, with roughly 268 dwellings of the Dalits torched by the Vanniyars, a high caste community.

Dalit women and girls are frequently raped and assaulted by village landlords. Forced prostitution is a common practice too. In late 2019, a 19 year old Dalit girl was gang-raped by four men and hung from a tree. This is just one instance; what’s alarming is a report by the Human Rights Watch which stated that four Dalit women are raped everyday in India, alongside being sold to urban brothels.

In addition to this, excessive use of police force, refusal to file complaints, and extortion are

commonly

seen

within

the

Dalit

community.

It’s 2020. Society is progressing forward everyday. People are raising their voices on new issues everyday. Yet, there are sections of our society where people continue to discriminate against those who are from “lower classes”. Are we, as a society, so narrow-minded that we segregate people on the basis of their social status?

It’s not only about laws or social movements.

It’s also about people’s mindset. Laws, protests and movements may mitigate this issue to an extent, but on a large scale, only people can make amends. We won’t see reform until people re-evaluate their morals.

We won’t see reform until people genuinely introspect. We won’t see reform until people reform their mentality.

33

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Mark, Joshua J. "The Vedas." Ancient History Encyclopedia . Ancient History Encyclopedia, 29 Nov. 2020.

Mishra, Neha. "India and Colorism: The Finer Nuances." 2015.

Yasir, Sameer, and Jeffrey Gettleman. "India Debates Skin-Tone Bias as Beauty Companies Alter Ads." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 June 2020.

Naresh Nil's Photograph of model Suruthi Periyasamy, depicting a dark-skinned godess Lakshmi, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-42637998

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THE PSEUDO SCIENCE BEHIND RACISM Fredrickson, G., 2003. RACE - The Power Of An Illusion . Background Readings | PBS. [online] Pbs.org. Available at: <http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-02-01.htm> [Accessed 26 July 2020].

LEWIS, B. (1998). The Historical Roots of Racism. The American Scholar, 67(1), 17-25. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41212711

AMERICAN ELITISM AND RACISM Ashkenas, Jeremy, et al. “Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/24/us/affirmative-action.html?searc hResultPosition=1.

Bolotnikova, Marina N. “Harvard's Economic Diversity Problem.” Harvard Magazine, 24 Jan. 2017, www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/01/low-income-students-harvard.

Thorne, Gabriela. “For Students of Color, Ivy League Schools Have a Long Way to Go.” The Nation, 14 Jan. 2019, www.thenation.com/article/archive/for-students-of-color-ivy-league-school s-have-a-long-way-to-go/.

Thorne, Gabriela. “For Students of Color, Ivy League Schools Have a Long Way to Go.” The Nation, 14 Jan. 2019, www.thenation.com/article/archive/for-students-of-color-ivy-league-school s-have-a-long-way-to-go/.

Torres, Kimberly, and Douglas S Massey. “Fitting In: Segregation, Social Class, and the Experiences of Black Students at Selective Colleges and Universities.” Race and Social Problems, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Dec. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614416/.

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A FAIR CONTROVERSY Roohi Narula, et al. “Un-Fair And Not So Lovely: Capitalism And Colourism In India.” Feminism In India, 28 Aug. 2018, feminisminindia.com/2018/08/28/capitalism-colourism-india/.

Balakrishnan, Rekha. “Not Fair, but Still Lovely – Is India Actually Changing Its 'Fairness' Narrative?” YourStory.com, 2 July 2020, yourstory.com/herstory/2020/07/fair-lovely-hul-colourism-body-positivity.

Barnes, Zahra. “The Unfair And Lovely Campaign Is Embracing Darker Skin Tones.” SELF, SELF, 3 Dec. 2018, www.self.com/story/the-unfair-and-lovely-campaign-is-embracing-darker-skin-tones.

Green, Jeff, et al. “Silence on Race No Longer an Option, US Brands Struggle to Market Themselves.” ThePrint, 5 June 2020, theprint.in/world/silence-on-race-no-longer-an-option-us-brands-struggle-to-market-themselves/436121/.

“J&J Will Stop Selling Its 'Clean &amp; Clear ' Fairness Products in India.” Mint, 19 June 2020, www.livemint.com/companies/news/johnson-johnson-will-stop-selling-its-clean-clear-fairness-line-of-products-inindia-11592596768317.html.

Krishnankutty, Pia, et al. “Before Fair &amp; Lovely, There Was Afghan Snow - All about the Fairness Creams Market in India.” ThePrint, 26 June 2020, theprint.in/theprint-essential/before-fair-lovely-there-was-afghan-snow--all-aboutthe-fairness-creams-market-in-india/449045/.

Markets, Research and. “Fairness Cream &amp; Bleach Market in India 2018 Forecast to 2023 - Pressure of Society &amp; Marriage Issues Are Major Driving Factors.” PR Newswire: News Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, 27 June 2018, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fairness-cream--bleach-market-in-india-2018-forecast-to-2023--pressure-of-society--marriage-issues-are-major-driving-factors-300629567.html.

McLean, John. “World Civilization.” The Caste System | World Civilization, courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hcccworldcivilization/chapter/the-caste-system/.

Pandey, Geeta. “#Unfairandlovely: A New Social Campaign Celebrates Dark Skin.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Mar. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35783348.

Pandey, Geeta. “Fair and Lovely: Can Renaming a Fairness Cream Stop Colourism?” BBC News, BBC, 25 June 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53182169.

Paul, Sumit. “The Fallacy of the Fairness Concept.” The Hindu, The Hindu, 6 Sept. 2016, www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-fallacy-of-the-fairness-concept/article7074825.ece.

Ramirez, Rachel. “Beauty Companies Are Changing Skin-Whitening Products. But the Damage of Colorism Runs Deeper.” Vox, Vox, 30 June 2020, www.vox.com/first-person/2020/6/30/21308257/skin-lightening-colorismwhitening-bleaching.

Schild, Darcy. “L'Oréal Is the Latest Beauty Company to Remove Words like 'Fair,' 'Light,' and 'Whitening' from Marketing Skin-Tone Products.” Insider, Insider, 28 June 2020, www.insider.com/loreal-removing-skin-carewhitening-fair-products-2020-6. doi:10.1177/1523422315616339.

Srivastav, Taruka. “Skin Whitening Cream Sales Still Boom in India despite Rules against Ads Deriding Darker Skin.”

The Drum, The Drum, 15 Sept. 2017, www.thedrum.com/news/2017/09/15/skin-whitening-cream-sales-still-boomindia-despite-rules-against-ads-deriding.

Staff, Homegrown. “'Dark &amp; Lovely' Is A Powerful Take On Indian Society's Fair-Skin Obsession.” Homegrown, Homegrown, 24 Sept. 2018, homegrown.co.in/article/802958/dark-lovely-is-a-powerful-take-on-indian-societys-fairskin-obsession. www.ETRetail.com. “Johnson &amp; Johnson Will Stop Selling Skin-Whitening Lotions - ET Retail.” ETRetail.com, 20 June 2020, retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/personal-care-pet-suppliesliquor/johnson-johnson-will-stop-selling-skin-whitening-lotions/76479520.

CASTEISM IN INDIA

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/india/India994-04.htm Bayly, S. (2001). Caste, society and politics in India from the eighteenth century to the modern age. Cambridge University Press.

Jha, P. K. (2012). Indian politics in comparative perspective. Dorling Kindersley.

K A Shaji & V Senthil Kumaran / TNN / Updated: Nov 8, 2. (n.d.). Hindu: Dalit houses torched, caste violence in Dharmapuri: Coimbatore News - Times of India. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Dalit-houses-torched-caste-violence-inDharmapuri/articleshow/17144263.cms SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN ADDRESS TO "WOMEN 2000" SPECIAL SESSION, SAYS FUTURE OF PLANET DEPENDS UPON WOMEN | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.

Sen, S. (2020, September 29). 'Four Dalit Women Raped Every Day': Why Caste Matters In Sexual Assault. Retrieved from https://thelogicalindian.com/story-feed/awareness/dalit-women-sexual-violence/ Sharma, R. S. (2016). Śūdras in ancient India: A social history of the lower order down to circa A.D. 600. Motilal Banarsidass Private Limited.

Shudras. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ancientindia1.weebly.com/shudras.html

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