EOTO #4: The Equal Employement Opportunity Commission

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Most of the time, employers with 15 or more employees are covered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also covers most labor unions and employee agencies. The laws protected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission apply to all types of work situations including hiring, firing, promotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits. They have the authority to investigate charges of discrimination against employers and settle the charges. If the charge is not settled the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission holds the right to file a lawsuit against the employer. They also work to prevent discrimination before it occurs through outreach, education, and technical programs.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established to uphold Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act is what caused the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to open one year later in 1965. In its early years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was strengthened through other organizations. The NAACP collected individual claims to pressure the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Congress to establish affirmative action and other policies to advance Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has faced issues throughout the time after its establishment in its funding. They receive thousands of calls a year about discrimination claims but they consistently lack the funding to ensure accountability of employers. States have the ability to help fund the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission but very few do anything to help anti-discriminatory laws. 

There has been a lot of progress within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In 1972 Congress gave the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the right to reach private employers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also worked in hand with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The commission was able to help with more than just the African-American population. There was help to all different minority groups in the United States. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was used in 1976 in the case of Jenkins vs. Blue Cross Mutual Hospital Insurance. This case was a case about black women's natural hair in the workplace. The court of appeals upheld a race discrimination lawsuit against the employer for employee bias. The appeals court agreed that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act applied to this situation and workers were entitled to wear afros in the workplace. One thing this case did for African Americans was help start the natural hair movement. In the eighties and nineties, there was social pressure for African Americans to alter their natural hair. There were many waves of the natural hair movement which was started because of the advancements from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

Overall the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has helped in many cases to prevent discrimination in the workplace. This was a major step for African American progress to create a more equal workplace. It also helped for the acceptance of African Americans in the workplace because of the decreased discrimination as a result of the Equal Opportunity Commission.