Anti Discrimination Laws

Comprehensive equal employment laws provide broad-based protection for applicants and employees. Anti-discrimination law refers to the law on the right of people to be treated equally.

Although the very first civil rights act was passed in 1866, it was not until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that the keystone of antidiscrimination employment legislation was put into place. Title VII, the employment section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, details the legal protections provided to applicants and employees, and it defines prohibited employment practices. Title VII is the foundation on which all other workplace nondiscrimination legislation is built.

The original purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was to address race discrimination in the United States. This concern continues to be important today. To take appropriate actions, employers should be aware of potential HR issues that are based on race, national origin, and citizenship.