A Message from EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows on the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Sixty years ago, a quarter of a million people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to call for equality, good jobs and freedom. Today, we continue that work.

The powerful words and songs of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A. Philip Randolph, John Lewis, Medgar Evers, Marian Anderson, and the many others at the March sparked something in the nation’s conscience. The March and the broader Civil Rights Movement paved the way for some of the most significant laws in the history of this nation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion, and established our agency, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Unfortunately, many of the societal conditions that led to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom are still present in our nation today. The racial injustice and economic inequality so starkly laid bare by the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and too many others, the disproportionate effects of the pandemic, and persistent and pervasive discrimination have made this abundantly clear.

The March was not an end in and of itself, but an initial spark for further action. Whitney Young, then Executive Director the National Urban League, noted then that “[t]he evils of the past . . . cannot be erased by a one-day pilgrimage, however magnificent . . . .” In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the 1963 March on Washington was “not an end, but a beginning.”

Even as we commemorate the courage of those who gathered in Washington, D.C., and celebrate the progress that resulted from their advocacy, we must remember that the march towards equality is far from over.

At the EEOC, we are doing our part to advance the cause of equal employment opportunity that was a key goal of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. From our field offices to headquarters, the EEOC is still working to combat employment discrimination in workplaces across America. Over the last 60 years, America has made significant progress towards equality and inclusion.

As we look back on the 1963 March as a crucial turning point for progress, we must remember that America still has unfinished business in the area of civil rights. I am confident that together, we can finish the job.

Charlotte A. Burrows

Chair

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission