Discrimination Based on Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin
Legal Information
Affirmative Action
For federal contractors and subcontractors, affirmative action must be taken by covered employers to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. Affirmative actions include training programs, outreach efforts, and other positive steps. These procedures should be incorporated into the company’s written personnel policies. Employers with written affirmative action programs must implement them, keep them on file and update them annually.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws prohibit specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces. This web site contains information about (1) federal laws relating to: Age Discrimination, Disability, Ethnic/National Origin, Color, Race, Religion, and Sex; (2) Federal Financial Assistance Programs, (3) Veterans, and (4) Immigration.
Federal Protections Against National Origin Discrimination
Federal laws prohibit discrimination based on a person's national origin, race, gender, color, disability, religion, or familial status. This document explains your rights in more detail.
How to File a Discrimination Charge
This web page, from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) web site, shows you how to file a discrimination charge if you believe you have been discriminated against by an employer, labor union or employment agency when applying for a job or while on the job because of your race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability, or believe that you have been discriminated against because of opposing a prohibited practice or participating in an equal employment opportunity matter.
Race Discrimination
This page provides answers to a number of questions about race discrimination in the workplace, including: 1. What is race discrimination? 2. Which federal law covers race discrimination? 3. Who is protected under the law? 4. Can I be discriminated against because my spouse and friends are of different races? 5. Can I be discriminated against because of the color of my skin or by someone of the same race? 6. Are racial jokes or slurs against the law? 7. Can I be assigned to a particular kind of job, or to a certain neighborhood or territory because of my race?
Racial Justice
We have come a long way since slavery and Jim Crow ruled the South, but deeply entrenched discrimination, subjugation, racism, and racial violence are still with us and continue to affect every person of color in every state, North and South.
