Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am sure by now you have all heard about California's Prop 8, which if passed, would eliminate the right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry in California. However, California is not the only state dealing with anti-gay and discriminatory amendments on the ballot in this election, other states such as Arizona, Florida and
Please watch this brief video:If you think that this mind-set is unique among many professing Christians in America, think again! This woman is by no means unique in her thinking, and in her absorption of the jingoistic and exclusionary rhetoric that emanates from all too many pulpits throughout the United States.Yesterday, I attended a rally that supported Proposition 8 in California, that seeks
Last week I was having lunch in the Tulsa airport, and saw a woman with green hair, a bull ring through her nose, and at least a dozen large tattoos. I turned to my partner and asked, "Who would ever hire her?" Apparently, a lot of employers are asking the same question. According to last Wednesday's New York Times, courts continue to find policies prohibiting tattoos and body modifica
On Friday, residents of a mostly Black rural Ohio neighborhood were awarded $11,000,000 for decades of being denied water services due to racially discriminatory motives. The residents of Coal Run either had to pay to get wells dug, hauled water or collected rain water in order to drink, cook, and bathe.A jury found that failure to provide water services violated state and Federal civil rights law
I am a Sikh man and the turban that I wear is a religiously-mandated article of clothing. My supervisor tells me that my turban makes my coworkers "uncomfortable," and has asked me to remove it. What should I do?
If a turban is religiously-mandated, you should ask your employer for a religious accommodation to wear it at work. Your employer has a legal obligation to grant your request if it does
I could not believe the ruling on this case ... I still can't. Personally it's really offensive and I wouldn't want to see signs like this. Apparently some people are looking at this outcome and rejoicing over a victory for freedom of speech. Is this what we really want our country to say?Here's just a piece of the article: Click Here to Read Original Article"The owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs telling customers "This is America: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" a three-member city panel ruled Wednesday.In a dissenting opinion, Commissioner Joseph J. Centeno said he thought the signs did discourage some customers. "The sign appeared immediately above another sign that had the following words: 'Management Reserves the Right to Refuse Servic
I could not believe the ruling on this case ... I still can't. Personally it's really offensive and I wouldn't want to see signs like this. Apparently some people are looking at this outcome and rejoicing over a victory for freedom of speech. Is this what we really want our country to say?Here's just a piece of the article: Click Here to Read Original Article"The owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs telling customers "This is America: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" a three-member city panel ruled Wednesday.In a dissenting opinion, Commissioner Joseph J. Centeno said he thought the signs did discourage some customers. "The sign appeared immediately above another sign that had the following words: 'Management Reserves the Right to Refuse Servic
...Yes, people with other phenotypes would not be refused the job, regardless of what the ad might say. Yes, they would consider rewording the ad. But still, those are the job specifications as per what the customer wants, and we have to stay in business. Even if it means selling asbestos or other toxic, damaging elements into society (okay, so we didn't really get into this argument…) As the Corelone family would say, this is just business. www.debito.org/
An Easy Way To End This Problem -Eliminate Race From Employment Applications If employment applications did not list race, country of origin or ethnic background, and intereviews were granted only on the basis of qualifications, this would not be an issue...Qualified minority applicants for state jobs were a third less likely to be interviewed than whites over the past three years, according to a newly released independent investigation into Iowa's hiring and promotion practices.The report said 13.46 percent of qualified minority applicants were interviewed, while 20.24 percent of white applicants landed interviews between fiscal years 2004 and 2006.The greatest disparity was with blacks, who represent 6 percent of the qualified pool of applicants but who filled no more than 2.8 percent of the state's jobs.The report found that the interview disparity resulted in fewer opportunities to hire minorities. Whites represented 88 percent of qualified applicants and made up 91 percent of th
The Justice Department has authorized the filing of a lawsuit against the city of NY based on the findings of an investigation that showed that the FDNY’s recruitment process discriminates against Blacks and Hispanics.The FDNY has responded by stating they’ve made major changes in their recruitment techniques in order to attract more minority candidates. The FDNY commissioner, Nicholas Scoppetta said the FDNY isn’t looking for a fight, just a reasonable solution to the problem. Last year, City Hall gave the FDNY $1.4 million to use toward minority recruitment.A lawsuit will be filed within 30 days, unless some sort of settlement is reached. If a judge is brought in to review the FDNY’s hiring practices, one solution could be to require one minority candidate to be hired for every three non-minority candidates.Source: The NY Daily News, We'll Deal With Heat-FDNY, By John Marzulli and Jonathan Lemire, Wednesday, April 25, 2007
According to the EEOC, protected activity includes opposition to a practice that is believed to be unlawful discrimination. Opposition can be shown simply by informing an employer that you believe that he/she is engaging in prohibited discrimination.Opposition is protected from retaliation as long as it is based on a reasonable, good-faith belief that the complained of practice violates anti-discrimination law; and the manner of the opposition is reasonable. Examples of protected opposition include:-- Complaining to anyone about alleged discrimination against oneself or others;-- Threatening to file a charge of discrimination;-- Picketing in opposition to discrimination; or-- Refusing to obey an order reasonably believed to be discriminatory.The anti-retaliation provisions make it unlawful to discriminate against an individual because s/he has opposed any practice made unlawful under the employment discrimination statutes. This protection applies if an individual explicitly or imp
Human Rights Commissioner Kumiki Gibson is investigating some big name tax preparation companies and banks in an effort to find out if they are engaging in illegal discrimination against Blacks and Latinos.At issue are Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs), money advanced to taxpayers based on an anticipated tax refund. These loans get a big push in minority neighborhoods. Consumers are charged anywhere from 85% to 500% in interest. A recent study by a Manhattan think-tank revealed that the loans drained about $324 million from the poorest neighborhoods from 2002 through 2005.It has been argued that there is no need for anyone to have an RAL because the IRS can wire funds to taxpayers within 2 weeks of getting a tax return. So, based on the interest rates, etc. it is completely unnecessary to see these types of loans being heavily pushed to low-income consumers.RALs have never been investigated as a civil rights issue, until now. The Human Rights Commission chose to investigate these loans,
