Weekly Updates and News Weekly (5/18/20)
This week’s contents:
Topic of the Week Race Discrimination
- Who is protected under the law?
- How does Title VII protect against discrimination?
- What is intentional discrimination?
Who is protected under the law?
Title VII covers all private employers, state and local governments, and educational institutions that employ 15 or more individuals. Title VII also includes private and public employment agencies, labor organizations, and joint labor-management committees controlling apprenticeship and training.
Anti-discrimination protections apply to job applicants as well as current workers. If you are a current employee and are fired, not promoted, or paid at a lower rate, you are protected under the law. If you are not hired because of your race, you are also protected.
Many states also make it illegal to discriminate based on race. For more information, please see our page on the minimum number of employees needed to file a claim under your state law.
How does Title VII protect against discrimination?
The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment. This includes hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment.
- Disparate treatment: when individuals are treated differently on purpose because of their race. Examples: offering ethnic minorities lower starting salaries, or posing different interview questions to white applicants and ethnic minorities.
- Disparate impact: this is a negative impact that race discrimination might have. It happens when seemingly neutral workplace practices have an unnecessary and negative effect on members of a protected class. Examples: unnecessary requirements for one’s appearance, like requiring men to have short hair, which might eliminate qualified Native American applicants, or requiring hair to be straightened, which would unduly burden many African American women who have naturally curly hair.
There is a key legal distinction between disparate treatment and disparate impact race discrimination. A case involving disparate treatment requires a finding of intentional discrimination, and the individual must prove that the employer had a discriminatory intent or motive. However, disparate impact cases do not require a showing of intent.
What is intentional discrimination?
Intentional discrimination occurs when an employment decision is affected by the person’s race. It includes not only racial animosity, but also conscious or unconscious stereotypes about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of certain racial groups.
Example: An upscale retail establishment with a sophisticated clientele rejects an African American male applicant. The hiring manager stereotypically believes that African American males do not convey a clean-cut image and that they lack the soft skills needed to service customers well. A finding of discrimination would be warranted
Thought of the Week
“It’s part of the U.S.’s long history of xenophobia. And in particular, it highlights the ways in which immigrants have often been tied to disease. As a plague, or as an invasive threat or as carriers of a contagion and disease that will then ruin the United States. We’ve heard this before and unfortunately, we’re hearing it again today… So the public health concerns and the rhetoric around immigrants and disease, what it does is that it helps to — it feeds and then it justifies existing stereotypes and racism around immigrants. And then leads to discriminatory public health policies that disproportionately impact specific immigrant groups and minority groups.”
– Erika Lee, immigration and Asian American historian | Professor at the University of Minnesota
Weekly Comic by Jerry King
Blog of the Week
Top Five News Headlines
List of the Week
from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Unemployment Rate:
- The unemployment rate increased by 10.3 percentage points to 14.7 percent in April.
- The number of unemployed people rose by 15.9 million to 23.1 million in April.
- The number of unemployed people who reported being on temporary layoff increased by 16.2 million in April to 18.1 million.
- The number of permanent job losers increased by 544,000 to 2.0 million.
Weekly Updates and News Weekly: Archive
Select a date from the list below.
- December 28, 2020
- December 14, 2020
- December 7, 2020
- November 23, 2020
- November 16, 2020
- November 9, 2020
- November 2, 2020
- October 26, 2020
- October 12, 2020
- October 5, 2020
- September 28, 2020
- September 21, 2020
- September 14, 2020
- September 7, 2020
- August 31, 2020
- August 24, 2020
- August 17, 2020
- August 10, 2020
- July 27, 2020
- July 20, 2020
- July 13, 2020
- July 6, 2020
- June 22, 2020
- June 15, 2020
- June 1, 2020
- May 25, 2020
- May 18, 2020
- May 11, 2020
- May 4, 2020
- April 27, 2020
- April 20, 2020
- April 13, 2020
- April 6, 2020
- March 30, 2020
- March 23, 2020
- March 16, 2020
- March 9, 2020
- March 2, 2020
- February 24, 2020
- February 17, 2020
- February 10, 2020
- February 3, 2020
- January 27, 2020
- January 20, 2020
- January 13, 2020
- December 23, 2019
- December 16, 2019
- December 9, 2019
- December 2, 2019
- November 25, 2019
- November 18, 2019
- November 11, 2019
- November 4, 2019
- October 28, 2019
- October 7, 2019
- September 30, 2019
- September 16, 2019
- September 2, 2019
- August 26, 2019
- July 29, 2019
- July 15, 2019
- June 17, 2019
- June 10, 2019
- May 6, 2019
- April 29, 2019
- April 22, 2019
- April 15, 2019
- April 8, 2019
- March 25, 2019
- March 11, 2019
- March 4, 2019
- February 25, 2019
- February 18, 2019
- February 11, 2019
- January 28, 2019
- January 21, 2019
- January 14, 2019
- December 17, 2018
- December 3, 2018
- November 26, 2018
- November 5, 2018
- October 29, 2018
- October 15, 2018
- October 8, 2018
- October 1, 2018
- September 24, 2018
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- August 6, 2018
- July 23, 2018
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- June 18, 2018
- June 11, 2018
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- May 28, 2018
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- May 7, 2018
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- April 16, 2018
- April 9, 2018
- April 2, 2018
- March 26, 2018
- March 19, 2018
- March 12, 2018
- February 26, 2018
- February 5, 2018
- January 29, 2018
- January 22, 2018
- January 8, 2018
- January 1, 2018
- December 18, 2017
- December 11, 2017
- December 4, 2017
- November 27, 2017
- November 13, 2017
- November 6, 2017
- October 30, 2017
- October 23, 2017
- October 16, 2017
- October 9, 2017
- October 2, 2017
- September 25, 2017
- September 18, 2017
- September 11, 2017
- September 4, 2017
- August 28, 2017
- August 21, 2017
- August 14, 2017
- August 7, 2017
- July 31, 2017
- July 24, 2017
- July 17, 2017
- July 3, 2017
- June 26, 2017
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- February 27, 2017
- February 20, 2017
- February 13, 2017
- February 6, 2017
- January 30, 2017
- January 23, 2017
- January 16, 2017
- January 9, 2017
- January 2, 2017
- December 19, 2016
- December 12, 2016
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- November 21, 2016
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- November 7, 2016
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- October 24, 2016
- October 17, 2016
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- September 26, 2016
- September 19, 2016
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- March 28, 2016
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- March 7, 2016
- February 29, 2016
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- February 15, 2016
- February 8, 2016
- February 1, 2016
- January 25, 2016
- January 18, 2016
- January 11, 2016
- January 4, 2016
- December 21, 2015
- December 14, 2015
- December 7, 2015
- November 30, 2015
- November 23, 2015
- November 16, 2015
- November 9, 2015
- November 2, 2015
- October 26, 2015
- October 19, 2015
- October 12, 2015
- October 5, 2015
- September 28, 2015
- September 21, 2015
- September 14, 2015
- September 7, 2015
- August 31, 2015
- August 24, 2015
- August 17, 2015
- August 10, 2015
- August 3, 2015
- July 27, 2015
- July 20, 2015
- July 13, 2015
- July 6, 2015
- June 29, 2015
- June 22, 2015
- June 15, 2015
- June 8, 2015
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- May 11, 2015
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- April 27, 2015
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- March 23, 2015
- March 16, 2015
- March 9, 2015
- March 2, 2015
- February 23, 2015
- February 16, 2015
- February 9, 2015
- February 2, 2015
- January 26, 2015
- January 19, 2015
- January 12, 2015
- January 5, 2015
- December 29, 2014
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- December 8, 2014
- December 1, 2014
- November 7, 2014
- October 15, 2014
- October 8, 2014
- October 1, 2014
- September 24, 2014
- September 17, 2014
- September 11, 2014
- September 3, 2014
- August 19, 2014
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- June 24, 2014
- June 9, 2014
- May 26, 2014
- May 19, 2014
- May 5, 2014
- April 27, 2014
- April 14, 2014
- April 8, 2014
- April 2, 2014
- March 24, 2014
- March 18, 2014
- March 10, 2014
- March 3, 2014
- February 24, 2014
- February 17, 2014
- February 3, 2014
- January 27, 2014
- January 20, 2014
- December 30, 2013
- December 11, 2013
- December 4, 2013
- November 20, 2013
- November 12, 2013
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- October 8, 2013
- October 1, 2013
- September 23, 2013
- September 20, 2013
- September 9, 2013
- September 4, 2013
- August 27, 2013
- August 19, 2013
- August 12, 2013
- August 5, 2013
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- July 8, 2013
- July 1, 2013
- June 24, 2013
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- May 13, 2013
- May 6, 2013
- April 29, 2013
- April 23, 2013
- April 16, 2013
- April 15, 2013
- April 8, 2013
- April 1, 2013
- March 26, 2013
- March 18, 2013
- March 12, 2013
- March 5, 2013
- February 25, 2013
- February 19, 2013
- February 4, 2013
- January 28, 2013
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- January 14, 2013
- January 7, 2013
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- December 10, 2012
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- October 8, 2012
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- September 4, 2012
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- August 14, 2012
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- July 9, 2012
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- June 11, 2012
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- May 8, 2012
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- April 23, 2012
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- April 2, 2012
- March 27, 2012
- March 19, 2012
- March 13, 2012
- March 6, 2012
- February 14, 2012
- February 6, 2012
- January 30, 2012
- January 17, 2012
- January 9, 2012
- January 3, 2012
- December 27, 2011
- December 12, 2011
- November 27, 2011
- November 20, 2011
- November 13, 2011
- November 7, 2011
- October 24, 2011
- October 17, 2011
- October 10, 2011
- October 3, 2011
- September 26, 2011
- September 12, 2011
- September 5, 2011
- August 29, 2011
- August 1, 2011
- July 11, 2011
- July 4, 2011
- June 27, 2011
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- May 23, 2011
- May 9, 2011
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- April 18, 2011
- April 14, 2011
- April 5, 2011
- March 28, 2011
- March 21, 2011
- March 7, 2011
- February 28, 2011
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- February 15, 2011
- February 7, 2011
- January 24, 2011
- January 3, 2011
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- December 6, 2010
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- November 8, 2010
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- September 20, 2010
- September 6, 2010
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- August 16, 2010
- August 9, 2010
- August 2, 2010
- July 26, 2010
- July 19, 2010
- July 12, 2010
- June 28, 2010
- June 21, 2010
- June 14, 2010
- June 7, 2010
- May 31, 2010
- May 24, 2010
- May 17, 2010
- May 10, 2010
- May 3, 2010
- April 26, 2010
- April 19, 2010
- April 12, 2010
- April 5, 2010
- March 29, 2010
- March 22, 2010
- March 15, 2010
- March 8, 2010
- March 1, 2010
- February 22, 2010
- February 14, 2010
- February 8, 2010
- February 1, 2010
- January 25, 2010
- January 18, 2010
- January 11, 2010
- January 4, 2010
- December 28, 2009
- December 21, 2009
- December 14, 2009
- December 7, 2009
- November 30, 2009
- November 22, 2009
- November 15, 2009
- November 8, 2009
- November 1, 2009
- October 26, 2009
- October 12, 2009
- October 5, 2009
- September 28, 2009
- September 21, 2009
- September 14, 2009
- September 6, 2009
- August 31, 2009
- August 17, 2009
- August 10, 2009
- August 3, 2009
- July 27, 2009
- July 20, 2009
- July 13, 2009
- July 6, 2009
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- June 15, 2009
- June 8, 2009
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- March 23, 2009
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- March 8, 2009
- March 2, 2009