What is the history of workplace discrimination and how to end workplace discrimination?

Several decades ago, there were no federal laws to protect employees from discrimination by employers. It was legal and often expected for an individual to be abused based on their race, sex, or religion. Women had nothing to protect them from wrongful termination or ill-treatment due to a pregnancy. A person of another ethnic group could be subjected to bigotry; such as racial slurs or comments. Someone such as myself, a practicing Pagan, could be fired, harassed, passed over for a job because the employer disagrees with my faith, or even placed in another lower-paying position after they discovered my religious beliefs.  However, in the sixties, things began to change, and slowly, these issues became illegal. Today, we live in a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to work which is guaranteed by law.

            The Civil Rights Act of 1964 leveled the playing field for individuals both employed and unemployed. It gave everyone an equal opportunity to apply for work, receive a promotion, a salary increase, and have a successful career. Discrimination laws mean equal pay for equal work as long as the employee is putting forth the maximum effort to deserve the salary. They cannot be denied a reasonable wage for the position they hold because their employer dislikes them personally.  Employers cannot fire someone due to their race, sex, or religion. An individual’s status cannot be used for or against them. Anyone who reports behavior that is against the discriminatory laws is also protected from retaliation by the company. That protection extends to whistleblowers who report the employer to the victim. Employees are no longer limited by their color, creed, faith, or gender; only by their limitations and qualifications.

            Before the discrimination laws, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, an employer was legally allowed to mistreat women. They could make explicit comments about their appearance, assign them remedial jobs, pay them less, deny them promotions or other positions, fire them unjustly, and refuse to allow them to return to work after giving birth. In some cases, bosses took it even further by touching a woman inappropriately without consequences for their actions because often a woman was afraid of losing her job. Men in that era looked at women as housewives and mothers, they did not believe we should have a job. The Discrimination Act of 1964, changed things for women in a variety of ways. Regardless of an employer’s personal feelings about women working, he was bound by law from treating her poorly due to her gender. It was something of a declaration for us that let the guilty parties know we were not standing alone. Men were standing behind us on the matter who believed in the words of Thomas Jefferson. They had to start taking us more seriously. In 1978 we decided we were going to be mothers and career women at the same time. We were no longer going to allow companies to treat us differently due to pregnancy or deny us our jobs after giving birth. Talisa Borders was ordered by her doctor to quit climbing ladders and lifting heavy objects. Her employer, Walmart, chose to place her on unpaid leave instead. When she returned to work, they did not give her back her previous position but a lower-paying one. Borders responded by filing a lawsuit against her former employer and she is currently fighting it in court. The discrimination laws may not have succeeded in stopping discrimination entirely but they have given women in her situation, the power to stand up to corporate bullies.

Any person of another race could be denied a job, spoken to using racial slurs, or offensive comments, and perpetually treated as if they were paid, slaves. The dirtiest backbreaking duties were assigned to them. Often the safety equipment that was given to them was of poor quality or did not protect at all. They were segregated from other co-workers but could do nothing about it because they were not seen as equals. These events occur frequently with blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, and races that have darker skin. However, it is not limited to these specific ethnicities, it can happen to anyone. Edward Canaday served as chief marketing, development officer, and senior vice president of strategic initiatives at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History. He was the only white male employee and he was terminated in July 2018 for what the museum claims were restructuring. Even though Mr. Canaday’s most recent performance evaluation said: “…Exceeded job requirements in all major areas.” Even when Mr. Canaday attempted to reapply for a lesser-paying position he was denied in favor of a less qualified candidate of color. The museum hired a black man to take his place as vice president, paying him $75,000 more than Mr. Canaday’s previous salary. It is a clear case of appalling racial discrimination. Racism can happen to anyone. We would have no recourse for such a situation without the laws against it.

            As a practicing Pagan, I know firsthand the never-ending hate, bigotry, and bias we deal with daily let alone in the workplace. From hate speech to ignorant comments, denial of job raises, and being fired without a justified reason. Typically when people discover our faith, they shun us, believing we worship Satan and sacrifice children. Regardless of how many times we try to explain that ours is an earth-based religion that believes in working with the natural cycles of the universe and loving everyone. It’s difficult when one’s co-workers are Christian and have been raised to believe our faith is evil. Just today a friend informed me that a previous employer told her to tuck her pentacle in her shirt because it “offends people.” However, anyone who was Christian could wear their crosses out in the open. Although she needed the income, she quit her job rather than deal with the intolerance. She is not the first person to experience discrimination, Carl DeLuca sued Heath+Hospital Corporation for firing him over his religious beliefs. During his employment, he was told he could not wear his pentacle or put it on his locker because they said: “it is Christian hate speech.” We live in the twenty-first century where self-education is possible. Instead of using the internet to learn about our faith, people chose to believe in the indoctrination of the church and treat us with hatred. In the years before discrimination laws, Mr. DeLuca would have no recourse for the abuse, injustice, and unwarranted termination of his employment. His suit against them is bringing to light the daily discrimination we experience in the world. Perhaps it will spark a much-needed discussion about the religious bias going on behind closed doors.

            Our society has come a long way from the days of employers denying advancement solely because of race, sex, or religion. Those of us who have been prey to the inexcusable behavior of employer discrimination have to wonder if the lawsuits against these corporations are doing any good. Are they thinking about how they treat others? Or is the amount of money they end up giving away written off as a loss on their taxes and forgotten about? The Discrimination Act of 1964 set the tone for a new environment in the workplace. But it’s only the beginning of the fight to set the golden rule in stone. On the surface, everything appears to be equal but employers are finding clever reasoning and new ways to disguise their discrimination. Unfortunately, they are outnumbered and outmanned and the people are fed up. We will keep fighting, and shouting until our voices grow tired or until someone stands up and declares enough. Change the laws, give harsher punishments for the perpetrators, and let us work in peace. Everyone has the right to be safe, secure, and happy in their place of work and we will not stop fighting until that dream is fully realized.

Author: Christina Pumphrey from Columbia College Chicago