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Placing candidates of particular ethnicities exclusively to improve diversity initiatives can potentially violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if it constitutes discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination and mandates that employment decisions should not be made on the basis of these protected characteristics.

The act emphasizes equal opportunity, which means that while diversity initiatives are important and organizations can have diversity goals, any hiring practices that prioritize a candidate's ethnicity over their qualifications or suitability for a position, solely for the sake of meeting a diversity quota, can lead to allegations of reverse discrimination. Such practices may undermine the principle of equal treatment enshrined in the law.

It’s important to note that organizations can pursue diversity initiatives in a lawful way, such as through outreach and recruitment strategies aimed at underrepresented groups, as long as these strategies do not violate the principle of equal opportunity in hiring decisions. However, any approach perceived as overriding qualifications in favor of achieving a diversity metric can raise legal challenges under Title VII.