Discrimination and National Security Initiative
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Discrimination & National Security Initiative (DNSI) is a research project affiliated with the Pluralism Project (at Harvard University).
Following the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001, several communities within the United States experienced and continue to endure a prolonged and wanton backlash. In particular, Sikh, Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and other American communities have confronted verbal harassment, employment discrimination, physical assault, and even murder (Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered just days after 9/11).
In response to the new post-9/11 climate and the need to understand how discrimination has impacted these communities in the United States, DNSI was created. The project has two goals: (1) to chronicle the mistreatment of minority communities during times of national crisis in an informational repository, and (2) to present the human consequences of this mistreatment from the perspective of these communities. In addition to releasing substantive reports, DNSI also has a blog.
DNSI was officially established on December 18, 2004, the 60th anniversary of Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court of the United States case that upheld the forced exclusion of citizens of Japanese ancestry (see, Japanese American Internment). The dissenting justices warned of the use of perceived race, ethnicity, or national origin as a proxy for suspect qualities, including subversion and disloyalty to the union, during wartime.
DNSI examines discrimination and its social impact not only since September 11, 2001, but in historical and international contexts that implicate the tension between equality and concerns for national security, such as the backlash against Muslims after the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the broader debate regarding assimilation and multiculturalism that is taking place in several Western societies (see, United Kingdom debate over veils).
DNSI is directed by Valarie Kaur (creator, writer, and producer of the documentary, "Divided We Fall") and Dawinder “Dave” Sidhu (civil rights attorney and fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School).
DNSI issued its first report, "We are Americans Too: A Comparative Study of the Effects of 9/11 on South Asian Communities," on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The report addresses the impact of and the responses to the discrimination that South Asians faced since 9/11, focusing specifically on Indian Hindus, Pakistani Muslims, and Sikhs in the Washington, DC area.
