Ancestry and national origin discrimination takes place when an employee is being discriminated for being from a certain country, or have personal features that can associate a person with a specific part in the world. 

In the United States, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to discriminate someone based off of their national origin. On a state level, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) also made it illegal to discriminate an individual based off of their national origin. 

 

How can Discrimination be seen? 

​

• Jokes or inappropriate comments about accents 

• Jokes or inappropriate comments about an individual’s English fluency 

• Discrimination for speaking another language besides English

• Inappropriate comments about an individual’s appearance 

 

Who is liable? 

When it comes to ancestry/national origin discrimination employers are liable for different reasons. The first being if the employer is committing the discrimination themselves. The employer is also liable is they were aware that other employees were engaging in the discrimination and failed to take action. Lastly, employers would also be held liable if their clients engaged in the discrimination and once again failed to take action. 

 

Is your National Origin Discrimination linked to other discrimination? 

National origin can be an identity that can be shared with many others like race and religion. Other “protected classes” that could be linked to your ancestry discrimination or national origin discrimination include: 

​

• Age 

• Ancestry / National Origin

• Disability

• Military / Veteran Status

• Race

• Religion

• Sex and Gender

• Sexual Orientation

If you believe that you are being discriminated against at the workplace, contact the attorneys of Lepera + Associates, PC. They can help you bring a claim against the discriminating party and help you stand up for your rights.