Georgia
The Peach State of Georgia was the southernmost state to be admitted into the original 13 colonies. Today, with an area of nearly 60,000 square miles and a population of just under 9.7 million (according to a 2008 estimate), Georgia has one of the most diverse economies in the south. The capital city of Atlanta contains a thriving mixture of businesses. Among other things, it is home to Ted Turner’s media empire, Emory University, burgeoning tech start-ups, and an important underground music scene. Outside of main population centers (Atlanta and Macon), however, Georgia is primarily an agricultural state.
The agency that enforces antidiscrimination laws is the Georgia Department of Labor, which was founded nearly 100 years ago in 1911. It's overseen by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor. The DOL maintains over 50 “career centers” and an identical number of vocational rehabilitation programs. The DOL’s mandate is to help individuals reach job goals and become financially self-sufficient through better education, workplace training, enforcement of antidiscrimination and anti-harassment statutes, and support provisions. The DOL also administrates Georgia’s unemployment insurance initiatives, gathers information about the job market, and enforces laws pertaining to employee safety, underage labor, safe working conditions, and job placement.
During the birth of the Civil Rights Era, Georgia and its neighbor state of Alabama served as primary battlegrounds over the rights of minorities in the workplace. Martin Luther King, among others, led numerous charges to compel Georgia to adopt antidiscrimination laws -- not only in the workplace, but also in restaurants, schools, and government.
If you have encountered harassment, racial discrimination, or other kinds of unsafe or unpleasant conditions at work, you may be able to pursue legal action. Talk to the attorneys here at Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum to learn about your rights.