Most people understand the basics of race discrimination. This is when a person is treated unlawfully because of his or her race and color. Fortunately, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is in place to protect individuals against all types of discrimination.
As an employee, there are many ways in which this act protects you. The same holds true as a job applicant. In short, it is unlawful for a company to discriminate against a worker or applicant because of race or color. This covers many areas of employment, including hiring, promotion, termination, job training and compensation.
Here is another important fact to remember: Equal employment opportunity cannot be denied because a person is associated with somebody of a particular race. For example, a person cannot be denied a promotion because he or she is married to somebody of a certain race or color.
Finally, employees have the right to work in an environment that is free of retaliation for opposing discrimination or participating in a proceeding by an outside agency, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
As an employee or job applicant, you should understand what race discrimination looks like and how to ensure that you never become a victim in the workplace.
Even in today’s world, there are companies and people who discriminate against others because of their race. This may be illegal, but it still happens from time to time. Employees and applicants have the right to be treated fairly, with many laws in place to ensure that this is the case at all times.
Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Facts About Race/Color Discrimination,” accessed Oct. 12, 2015
