WGBH News

There’s a short stretch of road in the “Little India” section of Jersey City bearing a name unfamiliar to most Americans.  But for some Indian Americans, Ambedkar Avenue is almost a pilgrimage spot, for it commemorates their greatest hero — and one with an American connection at that.

In the next few months, a decision is expected in a case involving Harvard University and alleged discrimination against Asian American student applicants. But the University of California system is also facing a similar lawsuit — with allegations that administrators are considering race in admissions even though California bans the practice. A scandal is also raising larger questions about merit in college admissions and who has unfair advantage.

Brandeis University has moved to ban caste-based discrimination in its own campus policy. Other universities may be following suit.

Many Dalits say the kind of caste-based discrimination and violence that erupts in India also exist in the US.

The writer’s parents defied Hindu conventions by marrying in India outside their caste, but decades later, members of her father’s upper caste promote sticking with tradition in America.