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Urgent action requested on UC Irvine event risks undermining the univ's commitment to fostering genuine diversity and belonging
Geeta Sikand requests chancellor of University of California Irvine to cancel a presentation by Thenmozhi Sounderajan of Equality Labs.
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Geeta Sikand - Fri, 18, Apr 2025
- 02:16 EDT
- 72
Dear Chancellor Howard Gillman,
I write to you in two capacities as: 1) Vice President, Communications for Americans4Hindus (A4H) and 2) Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), University of California Irvine Heart Disease Prevention Program, Irvine. I am committed to fostering a truly inclusive, respectful, and academically rigorous campus environment for all UC Irvine students. It is in this spirit that I express deep concern regarding the upcoming event featuring Thenmozhi Soundararajan, the founder of Equality Labs, to speak on the topic of caste on April 24, and its potential to foster a hostile environment for Hindu students on campus. Publicly available evidence demonstrates a pattern of hateful rhetoric from Ms. Soundararajan. Empirical research has also shown harmful outcomes from Equality Labs’ DEI frameworks about caste.
While we recognize the importance of addressing all forms of discrimination, including caste- based bias, we are troubled by the pattern of inflammatory and derogatory statements made by publicly Ms. Soundararajan about Hinduism and Hindus. These statements—some of which explicitly malign the religion, stereotype its practitioners, and invoke language that would, in other contexts, likely constitute a violation of professional standards of conduct—raise serious concerns about whether the event will contribute to a hostile or exclusionary environment for Hindu students on our campus. These include statements such as:
● Asserting that Hindu scriptures “do nothing but bring violence and pain” and provide a “spiritual foundation for slavery.”
● Comparing upper-caste Indians to Nazis, stating, “Real Nazis aren’t in Germany, they’re f…ing upper-caste Indians.”
● Claiming Hindu scriptures “enslave our people” and that Hinduism itself is an “animating ideology” of oppression.
In both higher education and in the public and private settings, statements targeting individuals based on their religious identity would often be reviewed under policies concerning workplace harassment or hostile environments. We’re concerned that such a standard is not being applied consistently in DEI-related programming when it concerns Hindu students, particularly those of Indian origin.
Our concerns are not abstract nor unfounded. A recent report published by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) analyzed the impact of DEI trainings conducted by Equality Labs and found that the materials and messaging not only generalized caste identity onto all South Asians but also contributed to a climate of suspicion and alienation, especially for Hindu students. The report documents that Equality Labs’ training materials often essentialize caste as inherently tied to Hindu religious identity, thereby subjecting Hindu students of Indian origin, regardless of their background, to implicit accusation and stigma. These risks undermining the university’s commitment to fostering genuine diversity and belonging.
We request a meeting with your office to discuss these concerns and to better understand how the University is working to ensure that all DEI programming is inclusive of, and not inadvertently discriminatory toward, religious minority groups such as Hindus. We believe such a conversation is essential to safeguarding the principles of equity, inclusion, and intellectual integrity that should characterize our institution.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to engaging in a constructive dialogue.
Respectfully Geeta Sikand
Vice President/Communications Americans4Hindus
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine (Cardiology)
University of California Irvine Heart Disease Prevention Program
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