Final answer:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to enforce these protections.
Step-by-step explanation:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 established strong provisions that prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. To enforce this, the Act led to the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee.
Additionally, landmark court cases like Griggs v. Duke Power Co. have reinforced Title VII by making practices like requiring educational requirements that disproportionately affect a particular race illegal if they aren't directly related to job performance.
Despite progress, challenges continue, such as the changing stances of the Department of Justice on gender identity discrimination and the difficulty for individuals to seek redress through class-action lawsuits, as seen in the lawsuit against Walmart for gender discrimination.