These laws also protect employees against harassment based specifically on their color. Harassment occurs any time people are forced to endure a work environment that is hostile or intimidating or offensive to them because of their race or color. Harassing acts can include:.
racial slurs .
racial "jokes" .
offensive remarks based on race .
offensive comments based on race .
drawings or pictures that depict people of a certain race in an unfavorable light .
threats .
intimidation .
hostile demeanor, or .
physical violence.
There was a case in 1989, involving two teachers, one black and the other white (Piscataway). In this case the Supreme Court was asked to address reverse discrimination in the private sector. The Piscataway Board of Education hired the two teachers and later decided to eliminate one of the jobs in the high school business department. The job terminated the white teacher's position and later admitted that, "the only reason for our choice between these equally qualified teachers was that the teacher kept was black."" The Bush Administration used this case to sue the school district for discrimination. Both the U.S District Court and the Court of Appeals found that the Board of Education had unlawfully discriminated against the white teacher on the basis of race. The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear arguments in January 1998, but the case was settled in November 1997 out of court. It appears that a coalition of civil rights groups, the Black Leadership Forum, financed 70 percent of the $433,500 settlement payment by the School Board to the white teacher. Since the Supreme Court only issues rulings regarding cases actually presented before the panel, this strategy allowed affirmative action to exist and not be completely eliminated.
Recently several of America's largest corporations, including Texaco, Avis, Donnelly, and Bell Atlantic were involved in major discrimination cases.
