Why It’s Unlawful to Discriminate Against a Person Because of Their Race

Despite the country’s diverse population, many Americans say that they have faced discrimination of some sort –– with 57% of Black Americans reporting discrimination in pay and promotion eligibility based on their race in a recent Harvard study. Discrimination can take many forms, and is not limited only to race. In fact, that same study saw 31% of women surveyed reporting discrimination based on their gender. 

If reading those two statistics made you shudder, you’re not alone. In addition to being unethical, there are several federal anti discrimination laws in place to protect you — yet many employers still discriminate based on race, gender, sexuality, and disability. Hux Law Firm is an Ohio-based employment law firm that focuses on race discrimination and other discrimination cases, and has helped countless employees who have had their rights stripped away by discriminatory employers. 

In addition to being an unethical business practice, there are also state and federal provisions in place which make racial discrimination unlawful. Below, the team at Hux Law Firm outlines some of the legal protections in place to ensure employees are not discriminated against due to race, as well as some of the ways employees who have been discriminated against can hold their employer accountable. 

Ohio Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA)

Originally passed as the Ohio Civil Rights Act in 1959, the Ohio Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA), more commonly referred to as Ohio Revised Code 4112 (ORC 4112), defines an “unlawful discrimination practice” as firing, refusing to hire, or otherwise discriminating against someone based on their: 

• Actual or Perceived Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• Military Status
• Physical or Mental Disability
• National Origin

This law forbids discrimination, and has been revised multiple times since 1959 to include new protected groups, with the latest amendment being on April 12, 2021, with the Ohio Employment Law Uniformity Act. ORC 4112 is just one provision which prevents employers from taking adverse action against employees based on their particular race, national origin, racial group, or membership to another protected class. 

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Beyond the protections that ORC 4112 provides to Ohio workers, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) declares under federal law that it is an “unlawful employment practice” for an employer to discriminate on the basis of race or use racial groups to classify employees in a way that would limit employment opportunities. In the event that an employer does not comply with Title VII and their discrimination can be proved, employees and job applicants are entitled to seek a jury trial in a state or federal court with potential maximum damages corresponding to the number of employees. Back pay, reinstatement, and retroactive seniority are also available.

Call Hux Law Firm

If you feel as though you have been discriminated against based on your race, you’re not alone. Thousands of Americans still face such discrimination despite the federal and state laws in place. Hux Law Firm is committed to helping those impacted by unlawful employment discrimination or national origin discrimination seek justice. Contact our firm today, and the team at Hux Law Firm will help you get the outcome you deserve.