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Seven years ago, a handful of Berkley activists started the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action when stories of sex trafficking involving millionaire Lakireddy Bali Reddy were making headlines.
ASATA is one of the over two dozen groups across America that deal with labor issues, discrimination and racism involving South Asians. Recently leaders of ASATA and over 30 other organizations came to Washington, DC for a National Summit organized by South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow, sharing their accomplishments, news about their current programs and aspirations.
"Our group talks to people locally about what's going on, but it was helpful to hear the work that is going on at the national level from a civil rights standpoint," said Anirvan Chatterjee of ASATA, who also attended a workshop on civil rights issues and met with many of the 150 fellow activists who came from across the country. Held March 16 to March 18, it was the first National Summit held by SAALT, an eight-year-old, DC-based organization.
Deepa Iyer, a lawyer who is the executive director of SAALT, told India Abroad that right from its start the organization has been focusing not only on pushing a progressive agenda through its efforts but also been connected with various grassroots organizations such as Apna Ghar, which works for the empowerment of women in the Chicago area.
"We have known for a...