| Overview of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
| Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.,
was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination
on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving
federal financial assistance. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1963:
Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination. If a recipient of federal assistance is found to have discriminated and voluntary compliance cannot be achieved, the federal agency providing the assistance should either initiate fund termination proceedings or refer the matter to the Department of Justice for appropriate legal action. Aggrieved individuals may file administrative complaints with the federal agency that provides funds to a recipient, or the individuals may file suit for appropriate relief in federal court. Title VI itself prohibits intentional discrimination. However, most funding agencies have regulations implementing Title VI that prohibit recipient practices that have the effect of discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. To assist federal agencies that provide financial assistance, the wide variety of recipients that receive such assistance, and the actual and potential beneficiaries of programs receiving federal assistance, the U.S. Department of Justice has published a Title VI Legal Manual. The Title VI Legal Manual sets out Title VI legal principles and standards. Additionally, the Department has published an Investigation Procedures Manual to give practical advice on how to investigate Title VI complaints. Also available on the Federal Coordination and Compliance Website are a host of other materials that may be helpful to those interested in ensuring effective enforcement of Title VI. |
| Statutes and Regulations |
|
Title VI Statute (HTML version)
Department of Justice's Title VI Regulations (28 C.F.R. §
42.101 et seq.) (HTML or PDF)
Department of Justice's Title VI Coordination Regulations
(28 C.F.R. § 42.401 et seq.) (HTML or PDF) Department of Justice's Guidelines for the Enforcement of Title VI (28 C.F.R. § 50.3) (HTML or PDF) Rulemaking actions to incorporate the Civil Rights Restoration Act's definitions of "program or activity" and "program" into regulations implementing Title VI, Section 504, and the Age Discrimination Act: Twenty-two agencies' Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, published December 6, 2000 (65 FR 76460) (HTML or PDF) Twenty-two agencies' Final Rule, published August 26, 2003 (68 FR 51332) (HTML or PDF) Department of Education's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (also includes amendments to Title IX regulations), published May 5, 2000 (65 FR 26464) (HTML or PDF) Department of Education's Final Rule (also includes amendments to Title IX regulations), published November 13, 2000 (65 FR 68049) (HTML or PDF) Department of Health and Human Services' Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (also includes amendments to Title IX regulations), published October 26, 2000 (65 FR 64194) (HTML or PDF) Link to Title VI regulations of other federal agencies |
| Title VI Materials |
Title VI Legal Manual (HTML or PDF) Title VI Briefs and Opinions from the Appellate Section of the Civil Rights Division Letter from Assistant Attorney General Kim to federal agencies regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin: hurricane-related issues (December 12, 2005) (PDF) |
| LEP Materials |
| Information on Improving Access to
Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency (Executive Order 13166) |
| Publications |
|
Link to Title VI portion of the
Publications Page |
| What to do if you have a Title VI complaint, or have some questions on Title VI |
|
Download our complaint form and
mail it to us
Call our Title VI Hotline: 1-888-TITLE-06 (1-888-848-5306) (Voice or TDD) |
 |
Federal Coordination and Compliance |
Title VI Hotline: 1-888-TITLE-06 (1-888-848-5306) (Voice / TTY) |
 |
Deeana Jang |
Chief |
 |
|
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division Federal Coordination and Compliance Section, NWB 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 |
