Strategic HR Lawyer

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently announced a new initiative to combat racism and colorism in the workplace.  E-RACE (Eradicating Racism And Colorism from Employment) is a reminder that race claims continue to be the highest number of claims that the EEOC receives each year.  In addition, the EEOC's website points us to some startling statistics and demographic changes which they believe necessitate this initiative.

• 31% of Asian Americans surveyed reported having witnessed or experienced incidents of discrimination, the largest percentage of any ethnic group, followed closely by 26% of African Americans, the second largest group

• 84% of 328 Blacks/African Americans and 66% of 703 non-Hispanic Whites/Caucasians think racism is a ”very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem in America.
• With a growing number of interracial marriages and families and increased immigration, racial demographics of the workforce have changed and the issue of race discrimination in America is multi-dimensional. Over the years, EEOC has received an increasing number of race and color discrimination charges that allege multiple or intersecting prohibited bases such as age, disability, gender, national origin, and religion.
  
• Overt forms of race and color discrimination have resurfaced. In the past decade, some of the American workforce have witnessed nooses, KKK propaganda, and other racist insignia in the workplace. Racial stereotypes and cultural distortions continue to influence some decisions regarding hiring, discipline, evaluations, and advancement.
  
• Some facially neutral employment criteria are significantly disadvantaging applicants and employees on the basis of race and color.
  

The EEOC has updated portions of its website, including Section 15 of the new Compliance Manual, on “Race and Color Discrimination.”