A Message from Chair Charlotte A. Burrows for 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month

During Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th to October 15th, we honor the enduring legacy of culture, history, and accomplishments that Hispanic and Latino individuals and communities have contributed to our nation. Persons of Hispanic and Latino descent, whose heritage traces back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean, have had an important role in shaping America’s life and culture since the nation’s founding. And with 65 million persons of Hispanic or Latino descent living in the United States—making up approximately 19.5% of the U.S. population—they are also an integral part of this nation’s future.

As we celebrate the rich cultural, social and political contributions of Hispanic and Latino persons, Hispanic Heritage Month is also a time to reflect on the challenges America’s largest racial and ethnic minority face. Unfortunately, despite representing approximately 19% of the labor force, and a labor force participation rate that is higher than the national average (about 67% compared with the national average of roughly 63%), Hispanic and Latino workers are underrepresented in higher-paid professions and positions. They also face considerable prejudice within the workplace, and some members of this community face the additional hurdle of having limited English proficiency.

The EEOC’s goal is to be on the forefront of combatting discrimination against the Hispanic and Latino workforce. This includes aggressively challenging discrimination in court, such as the August settlement of EEOC v. J.A. Croson LLC, in which J.A. Croson agreed to pay $1.6 million and provide other injunctive relief to resolve the EEOC’s suit alleging the company subjected 17 former Hispanic and Black employees to a hostile work environment. In June 2024, the EEOC also resolved a charge of discrimination against Tulare City School District, obtaining relief for a Hispanic man who had been denied a position as school principal solely because of his Hispanic national origin.

Further, the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan for Fiscal Years 2024 - 2028, which was approved by the Commission in September 2023 and sets forth the EEOC’s priorities through 2028, includes combatting discrimination against vulnerable workers such as immigrant and migrant workers and workers with limited English proficiency. This focus will help the agency better serve many Hispanic and Latino workers from Mexico and Central and South America, and the EEOC intends to vigorously defend their ability to work free from discrimination. To that end, in January 2024 the EEOC launched the “Enhancing OutREACH to Vulnerable Workers and Underserved Communities” Initiative (REACH Initiative).  This multi-year effort is being led by Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal and focuses on ensuring that EEOC’s outreach and education efforts are effectively reaching workers who often are the least likely to seek the agency’s assistance, despite their great need, and focuses on both vulnerable workers and underserved communities.

To further facilitate this strategic enforcement goal, and as noted in the EEOC’s updated Language Access Plan, the EEOC maintains a Spanish Language website that contains information about the agency and its work, and also has a link to a Spanish Pre-Charge Inquiry Form to request an initial consultation with either a bilingual EEOC staff member or with a staff member working with an interpreter from our translation services contractor. The EEOC has also translated many of its documents into Spanish to assist workers in defending their rights and employers in complying with the law, and agency emails related to inquiries and charges contain both English and Spanish text.

The EEOC also combats discrimination against Hispanic and Latino workers via outreach, in particular Spanish-language outreach. This summer the EEOC engaged in a Spanish-radio media tour to discuss the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, reaching almost 5 million listeners via many different radio programs such as Buenos Dias America and Radio Bilingue. Likewise, as part of the REACH initiative, Commissioner Kotagal held separate events on gender-based violence and immigrant and migrant workers in May 2024, which were simultaneously translated into Spanish. The EEOC has also entered into Memoranda of Understanding (“MOUs”) with Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, and hopes to finalize MOUs with other Spanish-speaking nations to enhance our cooperation in promoting a better understanding of U.S. labor and employment laws by  their nationals who are working in the United States and those who employ them.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month theme is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” I can think of no better way for us to help shape our shared future than to continue to meaningfully engage with Hispanic and Latino communities and forcefully protect workers from these communities against discrimination.  

Charlotte A. Burrows (she/her/hers)

Chair

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission