The Civil Rights Movement of 1950s and the 1960s completely reshaped the United States of America. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X helped pave the way for the future by catalyzing change that would help make the U.S.A. a more equal, more fair country. Civil Rights leaders wanted equality for blacks in the U.S. They wanted blacks to be able to have the same jobs as whites. They wanted blacks to be able to have access to the same opportunities, whether in education or in politics or in some other sphere, as whites. They wanted people of all colors to be treated equally and fairly. Segregation and discrimination were fought. Racism was openly challenges.
As African-Americans increasingly agitated for their rights through the 1950s and 1960s, other movements joined as well. One such movement was the feminist movement, which sought to bring men and women onto a level playing field. The movement sought to end discrimination against women in the workplace, in the home, and in society in general.
As African-Americans and feminists began to agitate, so did many other people in the United States, who truly wanted justice and equality for all. After much public outcry and discontent, public leaders finally had to ensure that discrimination was not allowed. Blacks, feminists, and others had fought hard to ensure that people were not judged on their color, ethnicity, race, national origin, or sex, and they won their fight. The United States enacted several laws forbidding discrimination. A major law was the Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act had many parts to it. One part was Title VII. Title VII did not allow employers to discriminate against someone based the individual's sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, or national origin. It was a big victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
The Civil Rights Movement laid the foundations for the present day. The reason that discrimination has disappeared to such a large extent is because of the actions of the Civil Rights activists. Moreover, those activists paved the way for other movements, such as the fight against age discrimination in the early 1990s and the fight for equal rights for homosexuals today.
And because of the civil rights activists, discrimination in the workplace today is forbidden. Employers cannot choose to one hire over another because the employees' age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, race, or even immigration status (assuming that the individual has the legal right to work in the U.S.). Not only for hiring but for employment overall, employers cannot discriminate against employees.
For more information on discrimination in the workplace, contact the Orange County employment attorneys of Perry Smith. Call us at 1-888-356-2529 or send us a message from our website.
Joseph Devine
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