EEOC Chairwoman to Meet with Community and Business Leaders in Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Ida L. Castro, Chairwoman of the U.S. Equal   Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will be in Charlotte April 27-28 to   meet with community and business leaders to discuss strategies for creating   discrimination-free workplaces and to encourage voluntary compliance with the   laws enforced by the EEOC.

On April 28, she will address the American Bar Association at   a noon luncheon at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, 8626 J. M. Keynes   Drive. Ms. Castro will be available to meet with the news media following her   speech.

It will be Chairwoman Castro's first visit to North and South   Carolina as head of the agency. She has a rigorous schedule of sessions with   various groups and individuals who, she said, "have a stake in the EEOC's work.   I want to learn what we can do collaboratively to ensure that employers and   workers throughout the Carolinas understand their rights and responsibilities   under the agency's anti-discrimination laws."

Ms. Castro further indicated that EEOC is observing its thirty-fifth   year of operation in the year 2000. "Although the EEOC's mission -- to rid the   nation of employment discrimination -- has remained constant since the agency   opened its doors a year after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964," she   said, "our nation has yet to close the chapter on discrimination at the workplace.   This dialogue with our stakeholders is critical to our accomplishing this important   mission."

Prior to arriving in Charlotte, Ms. Castro will be in Columbia,   S.C., on April 25, 26, and the morning of April 27. She will attend meetings   with civil rights, union, and advocacy groups, as well as plaintiff and employer   attorneys, and business representatives. At these sessions she will exchange   ideas on strengthening local enforcement actions, increasing education, and   providing improved customer service on equal employment opportunity matters.

The EEOC's Charlotte District Office, which has an extensive outreach   and education program that reaches workers and businesses in outlying communities,   has jurisdiction over federally filed employment discrimination charges in both   North and South Carolina. In addition to the Charlotte office, EEOC has offices   in Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C., and in Greenville, S.C. A total of approximately   2,200 charges were filed with these offices in the first six months of EEOC's   current fiscal year, which began October 1, 1999.

Since her tenure began in October 1998, Ms. Castro has focused   on expanded outreach, education, and technical assistance to a broad range of   agency stakeholders and has solicited their feedback on EEOC enforcement operations.   For example, she has placed special emphasis on direct communication with small   businesses and under-served minority communities to maximize collective efforts   to prevent discrimination and enhance efficiency and fairness in addressing   discrimination when found.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination   based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability in   the private sector and state and local government. Further information about   the agency is available at www.eeoc.gov.