U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**
              
                A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
                A **lock** (
              A locked padlock
              ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive
                information only on official, secure websites.  Home
                    *U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission*

      search
      Menu
      Any of these words (optional)
Search

    close
            About EEOC
          
                        
  
    **About EEOC**
                        Overview
                                  The Commission and The General Counsel
                                  Commission Votes
                                  Meetings of the Commission
                                  EEOC History
                                  **News and Information**
                        Newsroom
                                  What You Should Know
                                  Legislative Affairs
                                  Publications
                                  Outreach and Education
                                  FOIA
              **Laws and Enforcement**
                        Laws, Regulations, Guidance and MOUs
                                  Discrimination by Type
                                  Mediation
                                  Litigation
                                  Systemic Enforcement
                                  Commissioner Charges and Directed Investigations
              **Programs and Performance**
                        Budget and Performance
                                  Initiatives
                                  Interagency Programs
                                  State and Local Programs
                                  Task Forces
                                  Tribal Programs
              **Data and Analytics**
                        Overview
                                  Data Governance
                                  EEO Data Collections
                                  Data and Statistics
                                  Data Tools and Products
                                  No FEAR Act Data
                                  **Inside EEOC**
                        Careers
                                  Office for Civil Rights, Diversity and Inclusion
                                  Doing Business with EEOC
                                  Privacy
                                  Office of Inspector General
          
                                            
  
      
                  
                        Employees & Job Applicants
          
                        
  
    **Employees & Applicants**
                        Overview
                                  Coverage
                                  Timeliness
                                  Prohibited Practices
              **Filing a Charge of Discrimination**
                        Filing a Charge
                                  How to File
                                  After You File a Charge
                                  Confidentiality
                                  Mediation
                                  Remedies
                                  Existing Charges
                                  Filing a Lawsuit
              **Discrimination by Type**
                        Age
                                  Disability
                                  Equal Pay
                                  Genetic Information
                                  Harassment
                                  National Origin Discrimination
                                  Pregnancy Discrimination
                                  Race/Color Discrimination
                                  Religious Discrimination
                                  Retaliation
                                  Sex
                                  Sexual Harassment
                                  Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
          
                                  
  
      
                  
                        Employers / Small Business
          
                        
  
    **Employers / Small Business**
                        Overview
                                  Coverage
                                  After a Charge is Filed
                                  Resolving a Charge
                                  Commissioner Charges and Directed Investigations
                                  Remedies
              **Small Business Resource Center**
                        Small Business Home
                                  Small Business Requirements
                                  Frequently Asked Questions
                                  Tips for Small Businesses
                                  Making an Employment Decision?
                                  EEOC Resources
                                  Small Business Assistance
                                  Small Business Fact Sheet
                                  Small Business Videos
                                  EEOC Glossary
                                  Contact Us
              **Discrimination by Type**
                        Age
                                  Disability
                                  Equal Pay
                                  Genetic Information
                                  Harassment
                                  National Origin
                                  Pregnancy
                                  Race/Color
                                  Religion
                                  Retaliation
                                  Sex
                                  Sexual Harassment
                                  Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
                                  Prohibited Practices
              Recordkeeping
                                  EEO Data Collections
                                  "Know Your Rights" Poster
                                  Training
                                  Other Employment Issues
          
                                            
  
      
                  
                        Federal Sector
          
                        
  
    **Federal Agencies**
                        Overview
                                  Federal EEO Coordination
                                  Federal Agency EEO Directors
                                  Laws, Regulations, Guidance & MOUs
                                  Management Directives & Federal Sector Guidance
                                  Federal Training & Outreach
                                  Resources
              **Federal Employees & Job Applicants**
                        Overview
                                  Federal Complaint Process
                                  Federal Sector Alternative Dispute Resolution
                                  Discrimination by Type
                                  Other Federal Protections
                                  Prohibited Practices
                                  Resources
          
                        
  
      
                  
                        Contact Us
          
                        
  
    Contact EEOC
                                  Find Your Nearest Office
                                  Office Operating Status
                                  Frequently Asked Questions

        
                  Languages
    English
              Español (Spanish)
                    Resources in Other Languages
                    عربي (Arabic)
              简体中文 (Chinese, Simplified)
              繁體中文 - Chinese (Traditional)
              Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole)
              한국어 (Korean)
              Русском (Russian)
              Tagalog (Tagalog)
              Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
              فارسی (Persian. Farsi)
              پښتو (Pashto)
          

  

  Breadcrumb
Home
  A Message from EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows on Juneteenth Day of Observance 2022

                      
                        

          
          
                        A Message from EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows on Juneteenth Day of Observance 2022
              


          
  This June 19th or Juneteenth, we will celebrate the national holiday commemorating the end of America’s centuries-long practice of chattel slavery. On June 19, 1865, enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were legally free – more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Then and now, Juneteenth is a bittersweet, but powerful reminder that while our country’s promises of justice and equality remain unfulfilled, we must make steadfast progress toward fulfilling them.

As a descendant of enslaved persons, the daughter of parents who lived first-hand the indignities of the Jim Crow South, and Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), I am keenly aware of the pain, resilience, and hope Juneteenth embodies, particularly for Black Americans.

At the EEOC, we are committed to advancing justice for America’s workers, including Black employees and other people of color who have historically experienced systemic discrimination and, more recently, suffered disproportionate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. To advance racial equity for underserved communities, our agency is working to implement and track actions from the EEOC’s Equity Action Plan. One of our early accomplishments regarding the equity plan was the launch of our Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity, or HIRE. Through this partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the Commission is helping to expand access to good jobs for underrepresented workers, including Black employees and job seekers. And we continue to vigorously enforce the nation’s laws against workplace discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.

Additionally, the EEOC is examining long-standing barriers to equal employment opportunities in construction that have resulted in people of color and women being underrepresented in the industry and building trades. The construction sector has the potential to provide career pathways to high-paying jobs and economic prosperity and security for millions of workers. Unfortunately, too many women and people of color have either been shut out of construction jobs or face discrimination that limits their ability to thrive in these careers. Last month, the Commission held a hearing and heard from a wide range of witnesses about pervasive harassment and discrimination that workers of color and women workers face in the traditionally white and male-dominated construction industry. Amidst a historic $1.2 trillion investment in our nation’s infrastructure, the Commission heard promising practices to address systemic discrimination, increase diversity, and provide historically marginalized workers access to jobs that build up America’s roads, railways, and middle class.

We know from our work and based on recent acts of violence – including last month’s horrific shooting in Buffalo, which was motivated by anti-Black racism – that challenges remain in unearthing deep-rooted racism and intolerance from our society. Yet, the EEOC persists in its vital efforts to answer our nation’s call for racial justice and to uphold America’s cherished ideals of fairness and equality in the workplace.

This Juneteenth, the EEOC is proud to do our part to help fulfill our country’s promise of justice for all.Return to top

  EEOC Logo, Image
            U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

          EEOC Headquarters
              131 M Street, NE
Washington, DC 205071-800-669-6820 (TTY)1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone)

        Questions?

Call 1-800-669-4000
For Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers:1-800-669-6820 (TTY)1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone)info@eeoc.govFind your nearest EEOC officeFrequently Asked Questions
          Connect With Us

  FOIA
      
    
                      Privacy Policy
      
    
                      Disclaimer
      
    
                      Accessibility
      
    
                      Office of Inspector General
      
    
                      Promoting Access to Voting
      
    
                      USA.gov