I wanted to write in the first-person about why I have created the movement “brown equity.” It is my attempt at funnelling brown diasporic concerns into one hashtag — #brownequity.

This all started with the Indian farmers’ protests, but it has spread into much more for me. Through this protest, I have seen the lack of awareness around first- or second-generation cultural concerns in not only the legal profession, but other systems and the public at large too. Cultural competency should be at the forefront of addressing any concern of the dozens of oppressed minority groups Canada-wide, and worldwide.

What has been going on?

Since the end of November 2020, millions of farmers have been protesting in India for laws that they rightfully claim will be “the end of them.”

Approximately 400 lives have been lost through suicide or otherwise, and the prime minister of India has not spoken up about any of them. Given that two-thirds of these farmers are penny pinching to make ends meet, the Western world has taken to social media and the press (where possible) to advocate for Indian farmers’ rights.

A majority of the protesters are Punjabi and/or Sikh (Punjab is a state; Sikh is a religion), but there are many others like Hindus, Jains, Christians, and Muslims. A majority of the protestors are minorities.

How this relates to Canada is that over one-third of the visible minority population is South Asian. Many of these individuals are first- or second-generation Canadians (originally coming from India), and thousands have ties to farming in India. Some examples are through inheritance, family lineage, and having visited relatives’ farms. Farming is something that these families often bring to Canada to make a living and prosper at.