A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.
Hastings is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 24,064 at the 2000 census. Hastings is home to Hastings College, a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1882. It is known as the town where Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927, and celebrates that event with Kool-Aid Days the second weekend of every August. Hastings is also home to Fisher Fountain, and during World War II operated the largest Naval Ammunition Depot in the United States. Hastings is also the birthplace of Neal Hefti and former University of Nebraska football coach and Congressman Tom Osborne. A National Weather Service Forecast Office is located there, serving central and south-central Nebraska and six counties in north-central Kansas. On June 24, 2007, Hastings won Yahoo's Greenest City in America competition. Hastings is the principal city of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Adams and Clay counties.