At a time when our country was a war, the threat of nuclear attacks sitting on our doorstep, and political jockeying fierce as a dogfight in the sky, the last thing the American people needed was to deal with the death of our 35th President. Right in the middle of one of the most turbulent times in our short history, this is exactly what the United States had to deal with. The death of any President brings uncountable ramifications politically, socially, and financially for a country. While President John F. Kennedy was accused of a lot of things, one thing he couldn't be accused of was being an oppressive man toward the African American culture. On the contrary, it was this President's outspoken support for civil rights legislation that eventually led to the backing of his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ immediately called for support of a civil rights bill by stating in Congress, "Let us continue the ideas and the ideals which [Kennedy] so nobly represented must and will be translated into effective action" (InfoUSA, 2003). With the support of the new President legislation was drafted and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was signed into Law on July 2, 1964. This new section of the act was meant to protect people in relation to employment opportunities. With the new law in place it is important to know who is and who is not covered under Title VII, the impact of the law in the workplace, and what policies companies should have in place to avoid Title VII violation.
Who is covered and who is not? This is a question that for many years before the law was in place any employer could decide arbitrarily, which led to blatant discrimination regardless of ability, qualification, or willingness to work. With the law in place specific classes of people became protected in the hiring and firing process. "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the centerpiece of efforts to end discrimination in the workplace.
