Employment-Related Race Discrimination

Employment discrimination on the basis of race or color is protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For Title VII to apply, the employer, including state and local governments, must employ 15 or more employees. Title VII also reaches employment agencies, labor organizations, and also the federal government.

An equal employment opportunity cannot be refused to any person because of his/her racial group or perceived racial group, his/her race-linked characteristics (e.g., hair texture, color, facial features), or because of his/her marriage to or association with someone of a particular race or color. Title VII also prohibits employment decisions that are based on stereotypes and assumptions about abilities, traits, or the performance of individuals of certain racial groups. The prohibitions of Title VII apply irrespective of whether the discrimination is directed at Whites, Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Arabs, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, multi-racial individuals, or persons of any other race, color, or ethnicity.

Under Title VII, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against any individual with regard to recruiting, hiring and promotion, transfer, work assignments, performance measurements, the work environment, job training, discipline and discharge, wages and benefits, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. In addition to prohibiting intentional discrimination, Title VII also protects against neutral job policies that disproportionately affect persons of a certain race or color and that are not related to the job and the needs of the business.

Read more: What Does Title VII Protect?