In 1964, almost 60 years ago, the 88th U.S. Congress passed an ambitious Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the act was supposed to protect employees from discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, color or sex. It does not apply to employers with less than 15 employees unless the employer is the federal government. However, that doesn’t mean small employers have the right to discriminate against U.S. citizens. State and local laws may apply even if Title VII doesn’t.