The Struggle for Immigrant Rights:
Failures and the Fight for Justice
Rights and Responsibilities in History
National History Day 2025
Liberty Advocates
"Why did we come to America? The Ghadar movement wanted to take the British out of India. Mr. Bagai was in that movement. He said, “I don’t want to stay in this slave country, I want to go to America where there is no slavery."
- Rani Bagai (Kala Bagai's granddaughter)
Kala Bagai became one of the first South-Indian women to immigrate to the U.S. at the age of 22. While feeling colonial India, her husband was detained, and Kala, unfamiliar with English, faced massive language barriers and racism. The Supreme Court’s verdict in the Thind case denied their rights to own property and vote, leading to her husband’s suicide. Undeterred, Kala attended night school while advocating for immigrant rights. Her mission was to support struggling immigrant families and women.
Kala’s story is one of determination, a lasting legacy of the minimal rights of immigrant women in the U.S. Despite the rights denied to her own family, Kala was focused on making sure no others felt discriminated
Rani B. (2012) Bagai Family, Courtsey of SAADA Collections
Kartar Dhillion
Kartar Dhillion, born April 3rd, 1915 into a family of advocates - specifically her father, Bakhshish Singh, a major contributor to the Ghadar Party - grew up involved in rebellious Astoria, among anti-colonial politics, and grew up to join the fight against systemic racism & Anti-Asian laws. An avid writer and union supporter, she broke the cycle of oppression and misogyny, believing in justice instead.
A constant advocate for immigrant and women's rights, Kartar’s activist ideologies were influenced by the liberty that the Ghadar Party fought for. She saw herself as responsible for not only claiming rights but also ensuring others’ rights were safeguarded.
"Every member of my family was a part of it. We lived for the Gaddar party. They didn't care who was a Sikh, a Muslim, a Hindu. There was one objective that we had in our mind and that was to get the British rule out of India, to get the imposters out and to get rid of criminals taking over our country. And we stayed with this objective."
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Kartar Dhillon, Interview with J. Khan.
Kartar D. (2012) The Parrots Beak, Courtsey of SAADA Collections
"And ‘tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes"
- Kartar Dhillion