#DalitWomenFight! Breaking The Silence on Caste Apartheid at Santa Clara University

Join us for a historic evening at Santa Clara University where Dalit women activists from the frontlines of the Dalit Women's Self-Respect movement will join host Dalit-American artist Thenmozhi Soundarajan to break the silence on caste apartheid in India and the diaspora.

The Dalit Women's Self-Respect movement is India’s largest historic challenge to caste-apartheid and caste-based sexual violence. The All India Dalit Women's Rights Forum (All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch) activists who have had enough of India’s epidemic of caste violence, jumped into jeeps, cars, bikes, and rickshaws traveling state to state in the largest freedom ride to demand an end to caste based violence in Indian history. At each stop activists comforted survivors, confronted perpetrators, and called out corrupt public officials and the State who are responsible for this violence.

This evening will feature a night of personal testimonies, songs, performance, film and discussion with activists from AF3IRM, transnational feminists on the frontlines of the movement. Also present will be photographs and posters that have been created by artists from all over the world to document the work of the Dalit Women's Self Respect Movement.