Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a comprehensive federal statute that makes it unlawful for an employer to:
hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against an individual in employment, education, public accommodation, and the receipt of federal funding on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The statute covers hiring, firing, promotions and other workplace conduct. The statute also prohibits reprisal or retaliation for certain civil-rights activity. Under the anti-retaliation provision, it is illegal for an employer to treat an employee adversely because the employee filed or pursued his/her rights under Title VII.
Following the enactment of Title VII, many states passed their own statutes prohibiting discrimination against a number of protected classes of individuals.