A Message from EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows for 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, January 20, 2025, we celebrate the life, work and achievements of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As my tenure as Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission draws to a close, I can think of no more appropriate moment to reflect on the legacy of his leadership and its impact on this agency.
Dr. King devoted his life to the fight for equal rights for people of all racial backgrounds. He envisioned an inclusive future for all in his “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963. In the wake of the March, the speeches, protests, and efforts of Dr. King and other leaders drove the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which turned 60 last year. Title VII of the Act not only prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin; it also created the EEOC. The histories of Title VII and the EEOC have been intertwined since that time in a joint story of justice and progress. But Dr. King’s fight for economic security continued long after the March and the passage of the Act. As Dr. King observed in a 1968 speech in support of striking Black sanitation workers in Memphis, “[n]ow our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality.”
While today we celebrate our progress, we also commit ourselves to the work we must still do to ensure an America where everyone has a fair chance to work, provide for their families, and contribute to our economy. The EEOC has long used a variety of tools -- education, outreach, technical assistance, enforcement, and litigation -- to realize the promise of the Act and uphold Dr. King’s vision. For instance, in FY 2024 we resolved a Title VII race discrimination lawsuit and obtained $8.7 million for a class of 83 Black drivers assigned to more dangerous and arduous work than their white counterparts.
Last fall, the EEOC published the report “High Tech, Low Inclusion: Diversity in the High Tech Workforce and Sector from 2014 - 2022”, which highlights demographic disparities for workers in 56 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations and the industries employing them. The report acknowledges that employers have made limited progress toward including qualified workers of all backgrounds in the high tech sector and high tech workforce but concludes that significant barriers still remain to equal employment opportunity in high tech.
We also have concluded HIRE, the Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity, which I launched on MLK Day in January 2022 together with the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), to improve hiring and recruitment practices to advance equal employment opportunity and help provide access to good jobs. We held four virtual roundtables and produced materials that explore: strategies to build inclusive workplaces; the use of skills-based hiring; recruitment of qualified workers often overlooked as a result of gaps in employment due to age, disability, caregiving responsibilities, or justice system involvement; and the use of technology to advance equitable recruitment and hiring.
Another key component of the broader fight for racial justice and equality is ensuring access to justice and the legal system, particularly for communities of color, vulnerable workers, and underserved communities. Recently the EEOC has taken a number of steps to implement this strategic enforcement priority. Just over a year ago we launched the E-file for attorneys tool, which allows licensed attorneys to submit charges of discrimination electronically to the EEOC, replacing prior manual processes. This digital solution creates efficiencies that allow us to devote resources and staff time to better serve individuals who are unrepresented. We have also expanded outreach efforts to vulnerable workers and underserved communities through the launch of the “Enhancing OutREACH to Vulnerable Workers and Underserved Communities” (REACH) Initiative. The initiative aims to advance equal opportunity for all by making the EEOC accessible to all members of the public and ensuring employees know their rights, while focusing specifically on workers who are often the least likely to seek the agency’s assistance. Since its inception in January 2024, the REACH Initiative has held 24 events with workers and advocates in 10 states and on Tribal land.
As we look forward to the EEOC’s 60th anniversary this year, let us remember Dr. King’s words that “the time is always right to do what is right.” We all can honor Dr. King’s vision by continuing our critical work to advance equal employment opportunity and fair and inclusive workplaces.
Charlotte A. Burrows (she/her/hers)
Chair
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
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