Title VI Rights

Title VI Rights 

Amid executive orders and discourse surrounding employee rights, Native Finance wants to highlight exactly what your rights are under Title VI. 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protect people from discrimination in federal funding programs. 

Generally, Title VI protects anyone from race, color, or national origin discrimination. This act extends to individuals who experience discrimination including harassment, based on actual or perceived national origin or presumed ethnic characteristics. 

Title VI

• Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin

  • Discrimination can look like racial, ethnic, or ancestral slurs or stereotypes. How one looks, like skin color, physical features, a style that reflects ethnic traditions, and a foreign accent, name, or speaking a foreign language. According to usda.gov, discrimination under all of these acts are Title VI violations and warrants the act of filing a complaint. 

• Applies to programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance 

• Applies to educational institutions, non-profits, state and local agencies, and other non-federal entities

• Individuals can file administrative complaints with the federal agency that provides funds to the recipient

• Individuals can file suit for appropriate relief in federal court 

Section 504

• Prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance 

• Applies to programs and activities conducted by any executive branch agency

• Qualified individuals with disabilities have the right to accommodations and modifications 

• For employment, qualified individuals with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodations

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, you can download a complaint form and mail it to the department, or call the Title VI hotline at 1-888-TITLE-06 (1-888-848-53066). 

If a recipient of federal assistance is found to have discriminated, the federal agency responsible for overseeing the program in question can take various actions, including initiating an investigation, requiring the recipient to take corrective measures, and potentially suspending or terminating the program. 

These are rights under Title VI and Section 504: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq. and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794