A number of federal statutes prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and religion. These federal laws prohibit discrimination against American Indians and Alaska natives in education, employment, credit, housing, public accommodations, voting, and in certain federally-funded and conducted programs, among other areas. Tribal governments and State and local governments may also have laws or procedures protecting civil rights. At the federal level, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing federal statutes that prohibit discrimination against American Indians and Alaska natives. The following areas of discussion may be of particular interest to American Indians and Alaska natives.
Criminal Statutes Protecting American Indian and Alaska Natives’ Civil Rights
As citizens and residents of the United States, American Indians and Alaska Natives have many rights protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States. You have, for example, a right to live and to associate in your home with any person without being subjected to force on the basis of your race, nationality, or religion. You also have a right to apply for or engage in employment; to enroll in or attend public school; to use the services offered by hotels, restaurants, and places of entertainment; to vote; and to use certain public facilities and to participate in any activity provided or administered by a locality, such as using a public park, without being subjected to force or threats of force. You have a right to obtain reproductive health services and information without being subjected to force or threats of force or physical obstruction. These are only some of the federally-protected rights which are most commonly subjected to criminal interference.
Federal law prohibits public elementary and secondary schools and public institutions of higher education from denying students equal educational opportunities because of their race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or disability. The denial of equal educational opportunities includes the failure by public school districts to provide programs and assistance to students with limited English-proficiency in learning English so that they can participate fully in the educational process.
Discrimination can occur in the assignment of students to schools and classes and academic programs, the transportation of students, the hiring and placement of faculty and administrators, the condition of educational facilities, and the distribution of school district resources.
American Indian children who reside within a school district, and who live on an Indian reservation where the land is not taxed, have the right to the same educational opportunities that are offered to all other children living in the school district.
Federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against persons because of their race, sex, color, religion, national origin, or citizenship status. Thus, an employer cannot refuse to hire or promote you, nor can an employer discipline, harass, or fire you, on the basis of your being an American Indian or Alaska Native. Please note that Indian tribes in their capacity as employers are not subject to the law’s prohibition on employment discrimination. However, charges of employment discrimination may be filed against any employer that is not itself an Indian tribe, regardless of the tribal membership of the individual owner.
Discrimination in the provision of housing because of a person’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status is illegal under federal law. If you believe you have been discriminated against in the process of renting or buying an apartment or a house because you are an American Indian or Alaska Native, you can file a complaint of housing discrimination.
Discrimination in lending practices because of race, color, sex, or national origin is prohibited by Federal law. If you believe that you have been denied a loan merely because you are an American Indian or Alaska Native, you can ask the lender for an explanation in writing about the reasons why you were denied the loan. You may also file a complaint for lending discrimination.
Federal law makes it unlawful for State or local law enforcement officers to engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives persons of rights protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. The types of conduct covered by this law include, among other things, excessive force, discriminatory harassment, false arrest, coercive sexual conduct, and unlawful stops, searches, or arrests. The statutes do not apply to tribal police officers or Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs police officers.
From the U.S. Department of Justice