A Citizens’ Guide to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the National Lawyers Guild

T I T L E II

R E L I E F A G A I N S T D I S C R I M I N A T I O N I N P L A C E S O F P U B L I C A C C O M M O D A T I O N

THE LAW: Every person has a right to equal treatment in public places, to full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, and facilities of these places, described below, regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin. Any state supported discrimination or segregation in a place of public accommodation is illegal.

A P L A C E O F P U B L I C A C C O M M O D A T I O N I S :

An eating place, a movie, a lunchroom or lunch counter in a store, a hotel, motel or lodging place. This includes such a place in a retail business establishment or gas station or a theatre, concert hall, sports stadium or place of exhibition or entertainment. It also includes any such place within one of the above places, as, for example, a barber shop or a swimming pool in a motel or hotel, or a department store which has a restaurant.

W H I C H P L A C E S O F A C C O M M O D A T I O N A R E C O V E R E D ?

The places and kinds of services described above are covered if either (1) their customers or products cross state lines, or (2) discrimination or segregation is present because of state law or regulation.

W H I C H P L A C E S A R E N O T C O V E R E D ?

(1) A guest house which has five rooms or less and which is occupied by the owner as his home.

(2) A private club or other place not opens to the public. . . .

T I T L E I V

D E S E G R E G A T I O N O F P U B L I C E D U C A T I O N

THE LAW: Every child must be assigned to a public school, and may go to a public college, without regard to race, color, religion or national origin. This Act applies only where there has been a refusal to assign students to schools because of race, color, religion or national origin.

W H A T I S A P U B L I C C O L L E G E ?

A public college is any college, university, technical or vocational school beyond high school which is operated by a state or a state subdivision or agency, or which is operated entirely or mostly with state or federal money or property.

T I T L E V II

E Q U A L E M P L O Y M E N T O P O R T U N I T Y

THE LAW: This title (1) sets up an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whose main job is to investigate and help in settling disputes based on discrimination in employment; and (2) forbids certain employment practices.

W H E N D O E S T H I S T I T L E G O I N T O E F E C T ?

The unlawful employment practices part goes into effect July 2, 1965. The rest of the title is in effect now.

T H E S E E M P L O Y M E N T P R A C T I C E S A R E U N L A W F U L ( A S O F J U L Y 2 , 1 9 6 5 ) :

(1) No employer may fire you or refuse to hire you or discriminate against you in your wages and conditions of employment, or segregate or classify you in any way that might deprive you of job opportunities or of your rights as an employee, because of your race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

(2) No employment agency may refuse to refer you for employment, or classify you, or discriminate against you in any other way, because of your race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

(3) No labor union may exclude you from membership or discriminate against you, or segregate or classify its membership or refuse to refer you for employment or limit your employment opportunities in any way, or try to get an employer to discriminate against you, because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.…