EEOC ISSUES POLICY GUIDANCE SPECIFIC TO RACE AND COLOR DISCRIMINATION

New Compliance Manual Section and Question &amp Answer Fact Sheet Address Wide Range of Contemporary Workplace Issues

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued a new Compliance Manual section updating guidance on how Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment on the bases of race and color.  The EEOC also issued a companion question-and-answer fact sheet.  These resources, available on the Commission's Web page  www.eeoc.gov under  Race/Color Discrimination are designed to assist in identifying and responding to instances of discrimination, and to help prevent discrimination in the first place.

"This comprehensive guidance will assist employers, employees and EEOC staff in understanding how Title VII applies to a wide range of contemporary discrimination issues," said EEOC Chair Cari M. Dominguez.

Vice Chair Naomi C. Earp said, "Although employment opportunities for people of color have improved dramatically over the years since 1964, EEOC's job, and that of our many partners, will not be completed until all of our nation's workplaces are free of unlawful discrimination." 

Echoing that theme, Commissioner Stuart J. Ishimaru observed, "We can only become one nation if we are able to bridge the racial divide, and today the EEOC takes another step toward that end.  Issuing this chapter reaffirms the EEOC's commitment to the vigorous enforcement of Title VII's prohibitions against race and color discrimination in the workplace."

The new materials cover issues related to evaluating allegations of discrimination; providing equal access to jobs through the recruitment, hiring and promotion processes; and addressing harassment and retaliation.  In addition to the Commission's website at www.eeoc.gov, the new Compliance Manual section is also available through the EEOC's Publications Distribution Center at (800) 669-3362 voice or (800) 800-3302 TTY.

In addition to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and national origin, the EEOC enforces the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Equal Pay Act; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973's prohibitions against disabilities discrimination in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.