BUSI 561

Discussion Assignment Instructions

The student will complete 3 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at least 800 words, but not more than 1000 words and a biblical integration section, with a verse, by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the assigned Module: Week. The student must then post one Reply of at least 500 words, but not more than 600 words, by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned Module: Week. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 2 scholarly citations in APA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 2 scholarly citation(s) in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook, article, video, the Bible, and other scholarly sources.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

While I did not grow up in the 1960’s, I can still relate to the tenants of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a civil rights and labor law in the United States that prohibits discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations, and access to federal funds based on an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Specifically, in the workplace, Title VII of this act prohibits employers from refusing to hire an individual based upon the individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin as well as prohibits employers from having the ability to terminate an individual based upon those same factors. Alongside, Title VII prohibits sexual harassment and discrimination based upon pregnancy and gender identity. Additionally, Title VII deems it unlawful for employers to limit, segregate, or classify employees and applicants and to deprive individuals of opportunity, training, compensation, benefits, and the like, as this qualifies as discrimination (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2022). When individuals determine that they have been discriminated against under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, they must contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC is an agency that enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act when workplace discrimination occurs. Once the individual reports to the EEOC, the EEOC will then investigate the charges and determine if legal action should be taken (Petry, 2018). 

Experiencing and Applying the Tenants

I have experience examining and adhering to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I work as an Assistant Human Resources Manager and have the task of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates for the organization’s open job positions. The organization I work for consists of many jobs that involve painting homes and business structures, as well as performing other tasks that require a great amount of physical labor. Research suggests that these types of jobs are male dominated with limited career opportunities for women (Panteli & Urquhart, 2022). Given my employment opportunity, I have been able to see this firsthand. When I joined the organization, each of our labor workers were men. Before Title VII, women were unable to engage in meaningful employment due to limited access to the workplace. Now that Title VII has been developed, the decision to hire, fire, and promote applicants and employees based on their gender, alongside many other elements, would be challenged (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2022). With that being said, I hold the responsibility of adhering to the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and giving each applicant an opportunity to apply and interview if they have the proper experience required, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This ensures that each applicant is being given an equal opportunity within the workplace (Panteli & Urquhart, 2022). During my time with my organization, I have had the honor to interview and hire a number of respectable, hardworking, and deserving women who perform the job well, despite being a woman.

The Critical Tenants of the Civil Rights Act

Race, Color, Religion, and National Origin

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 consists of 11 titles which seek to improve access to voting, public accommodations, employment, and minimize individual discrimination overall (Couch et al., 2015). Title I specifically focuses on the right to vote. Prior to the act, certain individuals were deprived the freedom to vote. In order to provide eligible United States citizens with an equal opportunity to vote, the use of literacy tests and applications were banned and Title I of the Civil Rights Act was enacted. However, during this time, Southern voting officials were still negligent and rebelled against the act, discriminating against those of different races, not allowing those individuals to vote. This led to the creation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is a federal law that prohibits racial discrimination in voting within the United States (Couch et al., 2015). Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. This title was created in an attempt to provide all individuals the same access to businesses and public accommodations, such as hotels, restaurants, and local buses and transportation. Because of Title II, individuals, regardless of their race, religion, and the like, are able to enjoy public establishments similarly, with the exception of private clubs and facilities that are not open to the general public (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2022).  Title VII, discussed above, protects the same individuals in the workplace.

Sex

Initially, sex was not included in the proposed bill for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was not until Congressman Howard Smith suggested an amendment be added to include sex as one of the protected categories of Title VII for equal employment opportunity. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into law, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in employment opportunities. By doing so, it established guidelines for employers, ensuring that they would not have the ability to discriminate on the basis of sex and instead would be forced to provide economic and social equality for both women and men (Berman & Krishnamurthi, 2021). Additionally, in 2012, the EEOC requested that a new provision be added to Title VII, stating that discrimination against transgenders is a type of gender discrimination. In 2015, the EEOC then argued that employers shall not discriminate based on sexual orientation. This addition was not overturned by Congress. With that being said, Title VII now prohibits discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity and the EEOC enforces this law (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2022). 

Biblical Integration

The Bible states: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (
Christian Standard Bible, 2017, Galatians 3:28). This verse emphasizes the importance of acceptance, unity, and equality. It explains how all individuals who accept Christ are equal to God, regardless of one’s differences. This message can be applied in both personal and professional matters. It is vital that individuals do not discriminate based upon one’s status, race, or gender. 

References

Bennett-Alexander, D. D., & Hartman, L. P. (2022). 
Employment Law for Business (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill. 
https://learning.mheducation.com/static/awd/index.html?_t=1692742437729#/
Links to an external site.

Berman, M. N., & Krishnamurthi, G. (2021). Bostock was bogus: Textualism, pluralism, and title vii.
 The Notre Dame Law Review, 97(1), 67. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GBIB&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE%7CA693213685&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&aty=sso%3A+shibboleth

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). Christian Standard Bible Online. 
https://read.csbible.com
Links to an external site.
 (Original work published 1999)

Couch, K. A., Hersch, J., & Shinall, J. B. (2015). Fifty years later: The legacy of the civil rights act of 1964. 
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 
34(2), 424–456. 
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43866378

Panteli, N., & Urquhart, C. (2022). Job crafting for female contractors in a male‐dominated profession.
 New Technology, Work, and Employment, 37(1), 102-123. 
https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12210
Links to an external site.

Petry, E. E. (2018). Master of its own case: Eeoc investigations after issuing a right-to-sue notice.
 The University of Chicago Law Review, 85(5), 1227-1268. 
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/master-own-case-eeoc-investigations-after-issuing/docview/2118191130/se-2

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