Abstract

In 2015, a group of Latina/o hotel workers won a suit against their employer claiming discrimination based on national origin and skin color. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged that the housekeeping staff and security workers had been subjected to derogatory comments regarding their skin tone from supervisors and co-workers for nearly a decade. The Nevada hotel agreed to pay $150,000 and furnish other relief to settle the case (EEOC v Pioneer Hotel). This case is just one among an increasing number of legal cases claiming color-based discrimination. What is color-based discrimination and how does it affect the Chicana/o community?