Civil Rights in the Workplace: It\u27s Time to Cut the Excess and Get to the Truth

On February 8, 1964, during the last few hours before the enactment of the Civil Rights Act, thanks to an individual described as a “racist, male octogenarian,” Congress haphazardly added “sex” as a prohibited basis for discrimination alongside race, color, religion, and national origin under Title VII1 of the Act. It was not until two decades later, in 1986, that the Supreme Court recognized sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination under Title VII. Five years later, Anita Hill’s riveting public testimony, during the nomination hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, ignited a nationwide discussion on sexual harassment. A quarter century later, a celebrity tweet in 2017 asking for “me too” sexual harassment stories reignited the conversation and reminded us that sexual harassment was not only an active issue but a hugely pervasive problem in the American culture and workplace