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Aliyah Musaliar

Stories

  • caption: Digital art depiction of Rita Meher with a movie film strip in the background. Meher is the co-founder and executive director of Tasveer, a Seattle-based arts organization that hosts the largest South Asian film festival in the country. Meher recently went public with her experiences facing caste discrimination as an Adivasi person, helping galvanize change.

    Seattle leader ignites change in sharing caste identity

    In February, the city council voted to make Seattle the first city in the country to ban discrimination based on a person’s caste. The vote was a watershed for those who say that caste discrimination exists even in the United States. And for one supporter of the measure, it was a chance to open up about an identity that she had kept hidden.

  • caption: Digital Art Depiction of Rita Meher with movie film around her,

    Seattle Leader ignites change in sharing Caste identity

    In February of this year, Seattle city councilmembers voted to make Seattle the first city in the country to ban discrimination based on a person’s caste. For one supporter of the measure, it was a chance to open up about an identity that she had kept hidden.

  • caption: Neelima Musaliar (L) learned to cook as a prerequisite for an arranged marriage. Now she's teaching her daughter Aliyah (R) to cook to show her that she doesn't need to stir the pot for anyone other than herself.

    Cooking curry is my mom's feminist act

    I’m the worst cook. Actually, I'm worse than the worst. I’m the kid who burnt cereal because I thought microwaving Cocoa Puffs would result in a more...