*The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission*

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# Facts About the Freedom to Compete Initiative

See also: *The Freedom to Compete Award*

Ensuring America's workers the freedom to compete on a level playing field is the essence of the EEOC's mission. Shifting demographics and changing business environments have reshaped today's workplace, requiring the Commission to adopt strategies that are more responsive to current trends and complexities. The Freedom to Compete Initiative, launched by EEOC 2002, advances the EEOC's mission to prevent and eradicate employment discrimination.  Freedom to Compete is designed to build a web of partnerships, liaisons, and alliances that will serve to educate America's workforce, deter potential discrimination and promote compliance and sound employment practices.  It is an outreach, education, and coalition-building strategy designed to complement the agency's enforcement and litigation programs. 

Since launching the initiative, the EEOC has:- Engaged a cross-section of stakeholders in a dialogue about broadening the Commission'spresence to proactively address 21st-century workplace needs.
- Established strategic alliances with new organizational partners, such as trade and professional groups.
- Created a series of TV Public Service Announcements in 2002 to coincide with the winter Olympics of that year.  The PSAs featured key Olympic figures speaking on the EEOC�s Freedom to Compete ideals and furnishing information on how to contact the Commission if viewers experience employment discrimination.
- Presented a series of Commissioner-moderated panel discussions called  "Realities and Opportunities in the 21st Century Workplace"  to explore, educate, and inform employers, employees, the general public and other interested parties about workplace/marketplace trends and challenges affecting specific segments of the nation's changing population.  These forums, held between October, 2003 and May, 2004,  featured a wide range of speakers and addressed topics related to:    - Hispanic American Perspectives  October 15, 2003
  - American Indian and Alaska Native Perspectives   November 12, 2003
  - African American Perspectives   February 19, 2004
  - Individuals with Disabilities Perspectives   March 3, 2004
  - Asian American and Pacific Islander Perspectives   May 26, 2004  Future forums may be held to discuss gender bias (issues pertaining to women, e.g., glass ceiling, EPA-related issues, etc.) and age (in the context of ADEA-related issues). 

In addition, EEOC has expanded outreach activities with:
- A series of roundtable meetings with CEOs and other company representatives in cities across the country, promoting inclusion and Freedom to Compete principles at the highest levels.
- A series of columns in magazines, including  Diversity and The Bar  magazine.
- A regularly scheduled �cyberchat� with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

EEOC has also addressed some of the common themes and ideas that emerged from stakeholder discussions including: 
- Developing strategic partnerships and alliances with stakeholders that can influence positive change in the workplace
- Issuing a series of  Special Reports and demographic analyses of various industries , based on data from the EEO-1 survey, charge data, and/or other sources.  Topics include:      - Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector
  - Diversity in Law Firms
  - Investment Banking
  - Diversity in the Media
  - Women of Color: Their Employment in the Private Sector
  - Retail Distribution Centers: How New Business Processes Impact Minority Labor Markets
  - High End Department Stores, Their Access to and Use of Diverse Labor Markets
  - Broadcasting 
- Creating the  Freedom to Compete Award  in February 2005 to showcase, recognize, and reward specific practices and concrete activities that produce results and reflect an abiding commitment to access and inclusion in the workplace.  Public and private sector employers, corporations, associations, federal and state and local agencies, organizations, and other entities were encouraged to apply during the appropriate application period.

The Freedom to Compete Initiative continues to be one of the many ways that EEOC is proactively forging strategic alliances and partnerships to create positive changes toward the prevention of discrimination in the workplace.

*This page was last modified on August 31, 2006.*

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