By Paul Divakar and Dr. Nidhi Trehan
Ever since I witnessed my mother’s murder at the hands of the land mafia in India, I knew my life would never be the same. That devastating moment filled me with sorrow—but also purpose. I vowed to ensure that no one else suffers simply because of the family or community they are born into. From that tragedy, I began a lifelong journey to defend dignity and fight injustice. My path has taken me around the world—connecting with people across cultures, faiths, and struggles. Wherever I go, I remind people: You are the hope for tomorrow. I carry this message rooted in faith in humanity and as a humanist, I’ve seen how it can ground us, guide us, and empower us to transform the world – Paul Divakar
Austin, Texas, a city long marked by racial inequity, is also a place of healing and moral courage. On July 21st, a diverse crowd gathered at First Baptist Church of Austin for “Unite for Rights: Take a Stand for Human Dignity,” hosted by iACT. The event brought together voices from across the globe—Queen Bisseng (Cameroon), Simona Torotcoi (Romania), and myself (Paul) —activists with The Inclusivity Project (TIP), an international effort to end descent-based discrimination that is working at the UN level.
Together, we named an uncomfortable truth: even in 2025, millions of people are still dehumanized because of their caste or inherited lineage. Indeed, across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, more than 270 million people face descent-based discrimination—oppression rooted in the idea that certain lives are inherently inferior. These Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) are often assigned to “impure” labor, denied land and education, and excluded from public life:
- In India, Dalits—once labeled “untouchables”—are assaulted or killed for drinking from a village well or entering a temple.
- In Nepal, Dalits live in segregated settlements.
- In Nigeria, Osu communities are forbidden from marrying outside their caste.
- In Yemen, the Muhamasheen are denied IDs and basic rights.
- In Europe, Romani people face systemic exclusion from jobs, housing, and schools.
These are not isolated injustices. They form a global system of inherited inequality—deeply entrenched, violently enforced, and painfully familiar to those who have fought racism in the United States.
Just as Black Americans have long battled a racial caste system—from Jim Crow to redlining and mass incarceration—CDWD communities across the world face similar structural and generational harms. The civil rights movement’s language of dignity, its strategies of resistance, and its unwavering hope now inspire a global uprising against caste.
At the Austin gathering, our stories gave voice to the personal toll of this global injustice. Simona Torotcoi, TIP’s Europe Ambassador shared how she grew up in shame as a Romani girl in Romania, before reclaiming her identity through activism. Queen Bisseng, our Africa Ambassador, led an exercise to help attendees feel what structural inequality and inherited privilege look like.
Together, we offered a message of possibility: Justice is achievable when we unite. TIP is building a global movement rooted in human dignity. We are connecting Dalits, Osu, Roma, Muhamasheen, Quilombola, Burakumin, Afro-Colombians, and others to dismantle the intergenerational hierarchies that divide and diminish us. Through TIP, we are training 50 young leaders from CDWD communities across five continents to become the next generation of global advocates. Audience members were deeply moved. One participant said, “We are no longer the country others come to for help.” But she also found hope in the event’s message: “If we can unite for the same cause, it can strengthen us all.”
As people of faith, we are called not to silence or neutrality, but to solidarity. Racism, casteism, and classism are not just political failures—they are moral crises. Just as American civil rights leaders once stood with South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, we are now called to stand with CDWD communities around the globe. The TIP delegation invited attendees to join the movement by:
- Supporting TIP’s youth leadership training
- Hosting forums on casteism and descent-based discrimination
- Building alliances between African American and CDWD communities
- Advocating for U.S. foreign policy that addresses caste-based exclusion
- Amplifying the voices of historically silenced groups
This is our moment to act. We cannot wait for justice to trickle down. We must rise together and claim it—for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for the generations to come. Learn more and join the movement at www.theinclusivityproject.org. Together, we can reclaim the dignity that every human being deserves.
Bio:
Paul Divakar is Executive Director of the board of TIP and the Convenor of the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD). Dr. Nidhi Trehan is a sociologist who specializes in the Romani civil rights movement.