For decades, there have been federal, state, and local laws in place that make discrimination based on a person’s race illegal. However, making something illegal doesn’t prevent it from happening, and many people all over the country experience discrimination in the workplace due to their race. Race discrimination can occur in any industry, and at Brown Kwon & Lam, we can help you get the fair treatment you deserve if you’ve been illegally discriminated against.
If you believe you have been discriminated against due to your race, you may have many questions, including whether or not you need to take legal action. Here are a few facts and statistics about race discrimination that employees should know.
How Often Does Race Discrimination Occur?
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), they received 22,064 charges of race discrimination in fiscal year 2020, the most recent year that numbers are available. This makes up 32.7% of all charges received in FY 2020. Complaints filed with the EEOC may also include more than one charge of discrimination, such as an employee experiencing race discrimination in addition to gender discrimination.
Of course, there may be even more employees who experience this who don’t report it, so the true number may be even more significant. Race discrimination was the third most commonly filed charge with the EEOC in FY 2020, which can help show how prevalent this issue is for employees.
What Actions and Behaviors Does Race Discrimination Include?
It’s illegal to discriminate against employees due to their race in any aspect of employment. This includes hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, benefits, and more.
Employees are also protected from being harassed due to their race. Under New York State’s Human Rights Law, it is illegal to subject an employee to “inferior terms, conditions or privileges of employment” due to their membership in a protected class, which includes race. In New York, harassment does not need to be severe or pervasive to be considered unlawful. This means that racial slurs or offensive remarks could be classified as illegal discrimination.
Race-Related Characteristics and Conditions
It’s illegal to discriminate against employees due to any characteristic associated with race, such as a hair texture or cultural practices commonly associated with their race. Certain medical conditions are more prevalent in some races, and discrimination based on a condition associated with a race is also illegal. Even if a person doesn’t belong to a certain race, they may face illegal discrimination due to their association with someone else who belongs to a certain race, such as their spouse.
Color Discrimination
A person’s race and skin color aren’t exactly the same thing, but employees are protected from discrimination based on both. A person’s skin color refers to their skin tone and complexion. Two people may belong to the same race but have different skin tones. Discriminating against an employee due to how light or dark their skin tone is also qualifies as illegal discrimination.
Contact an NYC Race Discrimination Lawyer for Help Today
No one should have to worry about facing discrimination due to their race, but this is a reality for many employees, including those in New York City. If this has happened to you, you deserve to get justice. Combating race discrimination can be difficult, but Brown Kwon & Lam is here for you.
Contact the race discrimination lawyers at Brown Kwon & Lam today to learn more about how we can help you get justice.