MANGT 531 - Human Resources Management

Guide for student research project on why anti-discrimination legislation identifies protected classes.

Library Research Guide

Protected Classes

This page identifies websites and digital collections with primary and secondary sources about workplace experiences according to protected classes as outlined in the laws and regulations discussed in this course.

These groupings are provided to aid in the research process as you move from the language in the laws and regulations to primary sources that may use different terminology. We recognize these labels may not adequately describe someone's identity. Please see the Preferred Terms page for resources with guidance about what terminology.

Additionally, we hold multiple identities that intersect and overlap. You may find that it can be helpful to search other collections as materials that focus on race/ethnicity may include content about gender or age in the workplace, and vice-versa.

These materials may include images and text reflecting various forms of oppression, including but not limited to offensive language or negative stereotypes. Instances of bigotry reflect the attitudes, perspectives and beliefs of those that created and participated in them and should be considered records of the era in which they were produced.

Content warning developed by Irina Rogova, Digital Resources Archivist

African American and Black

Behind the Veil (Primary Source)
This collection of oral histories at Duke University was developed, "to record and preserve the living memory of African American life during the age of legal segregation in the American South, from the 1890s to the 1950s."

Select Browse to view all the items and then use the option on the left side to limit by an Occupation. From the list of results, select an interview to listen to; it may be in multiple parts. Above the embedded player, some interviews have a "Document" link which will contain the interview transcript.
Black Archives of Mid-America Oral History Collection (Primary Source)
Five interviews with prominent members of the African American community in Kansas City.

Audio recordings and transcripts are available for each interview.
Jet Magazine (Primary Source)
Begun in 1951, Jet is a weekly magazine focused on the African American community.

Google Books has digitized issues from 1951 - October, 2008. Browse by date or look for the option to search all issues.
Umbra Search African American History (Primary Source)
Umbra searches digitized primary sources focused on African American history from over a thousand institutions.

Searching by keywords is your best starting point.

Age

House Told Laws Are Needed On Age Discrimination in Jobs: Wirtz Reports Under 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 (Primary Source)
This 1965 New York Times article discusses ways employers discriminate against older workers. Searching the Historical New York Times is a good strategy for finding more about age related discrimination.
The abolition of mandatory retirement, and how it changed America in unexpected ways (Secondary Source)
This 2011 Slate article discusses anti-mandatory retirement laws and their impact on older workers.
The Older Worker in Industry, 1930 (Primary Source)
This 1930 article from The Monthly Labor Review published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics discusses employment issues facing middle aged workers.

Asian, Asian American & Pacific Islander

Rise Up for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Primary Source)
Exhibit from Stanford University Libraries on the history of racism against Asian-Americans.
What Is the History of Anti-Asian Discrimination in the United States? A Timeline (Secondary Source)
This article outlines the history of discrimination against Asian-Americans.

Disability

Disability History through Primary Sources (Primary Source)
This is a collection of primary sources on disability history.
In Their Own Words: How The Americans With Disabilities Act Changed People's Lives (Secondary Source)
This article describes the history and impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The employment rate for disabled workers is higher than it has been in years (Secondary Source)
This article examines how remote work due to COVID has increased the participation of disabled people in the workforce.

Hispanic and Latinx

Hispanic Oral History Collection (Primary Source)
This collection of oral history interviews with members of the Hispanic community in Kansas City.

Audio recordings and interview notes (summaries) are available for each interview.
Farmworker Movement Documentation Project (Primary Source)
Presented by the UC San Diego Library, this archive provides primary source materials from the members of the United Farmworker movement who fought for the rights of agricultural workers. The movement was predominantly formed by Filipino/a and Latino/a migrant farm workers. Materials about the Delano Grape Strike are included.

Indigenous and Native American

Genoa Indian School Digital Reconciliation Project (Primary Source)
Located in Genoa, Nebraska, the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School was one of hundreds of boarding schools established in the U.S.

This site provides digitized materials and serves as, "a space for telling the stories of the American Indian children who attended Genoa, the stories of their communities, and the stories of their descendants."
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center - Resources (Primary Source)
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation offers digitized access to family histories, allotments, and their archives.

The Encyclopedia might be the easiest entry point for your search as most entries link to or reference primary source documents.

National Origin

Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History, Library of Congress (Primary Source)
This Library of Congress collection explores the experiences of different communities as they arrived in the United States. Labor conditions are discussed for some groups, including Italians.
EEOC Enforcement Guidance on National Origin Discrimination (Secondary Source)
This document defines and gives examples of discrimination based on national origin. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an excellent place to find additional information on protected classes in the workplace.

Religion

27% of Chicago Firms Bar Jews from Employment, Report Shows, 1954 (Primary Source)
This 1954 news bulletin reports on the work of the Bureau in Jewish Employment Problems, which studied discriminatory job specifications. Explore the Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to find additional reporting about discrimination against Jewish people.
“Gentiles Preferred” Minneapolis Jews and Employment 1920-1950 (Secondary Source)
This 1991 article published in Minnesota History documents economic discrimination against Jewish people in Minneapolis.

Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

Employment Discrimination Against Gay Men and Lesbians, 1994 (Primary Source)
In this congressional hearing, gay men and lesbians give testimony about their experience with employment discrimination.
Moving Towards Equality in the Workplace for LGBTQI+ Employees (Secondary Source)
From the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, this article gives an over legislative milestones for LQBTQ+ employees.

Women

"Fly me" airline ad from the 1970s (Primary Source)
This ad shows some of the sexist working conditions women experienced in the past.
How Flight Attendants Organized Against Their Bosses to End 'Swinging Stewardesses' Stereotyping (Secondary Source)
While this articles focuses on airlines, women in all industries faced similar issues before anti-discrimination legislation was enacted.
The US Department of Labor Women's Bureau (Secondary Source)
This is a great source for statistics, stories and visual representations of data that you can use in your presentations.