Resolution of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission In Mourning for the Deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery

WHEREAS the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Commission or EEOC) was created by the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 in direct response to calls for racial justice at the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963; and

WHEREAS the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which established the Commission, was passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress; and

WHEREAS the Commission opened its doors on July 2, 1965, exactly one year after passage of the Civil Rights Act, and immediately received thousands of discrimination charges, including many alleging racial discrimination; and

WHEREAS in 1972, Congress amended the Civil Rights Act to provide the Commission with greater authority to advance equal employment opportunity, including the ability to seek justice in the federal courts for those who suffer employment discrimination; and

WHEREAS the Commission enforces federal laws that protect all employees in the United States against employment discrimination based on race, national origin, color, sex, religion, age, disability, and genetic identity and has worked to promote equality of opportunity in American workplaces; and

WHEREAS equal employment opportunity strengthens our nation and its economy; and

WHEREAS for more than half a century, the Commission’s dedicated staff have worked tirelessly to advance justice for all people, and during that time the Commission has worked to lessen the impact that prejudice and institutional racism have in denying opportunities to persons of color; and

WHEREAS throughout its history, the EEOC has uncovered evidence of virulent racial discrimination in employment, including countless instances of African Americans accosted with nooses, racial epithets, threats of violence, harassment, and more subtle forms of discrimination in the workplace; and

WHEREAS the EEOC’s mission to prevent, address, and remedy employment discrimination represents America’s highest ideals of equality and justice for all; and

WHEREAS, by its very existence, the EEOC embodies America’s bipartisan, national commitment to civil rights; and

WHEREAS the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that created the Commission demonstrates what is possible when people of good will require that those in power honor that bipartisan national commitment; and

WHEREAS we cannot be silent about things that matter; and

WHEREAS Black lives matter:

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT -- the EEOC condemns the violence that has claimed the lives of so many Black persons in America and joins in mourning the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others; expresses our heartfelt sympathy to their families; and commits to redouble our efforts to address institutionalized racism, advance justice, and foster equality of opportunity in the workplace.

Signed this 9th day of June, 2020.