EEOC turns 45: Birmingham connection
Roy Williams, in the Birmingham New, wrote an interesting article that appeared in today's paper. The EEOC turns 45 this year, and the current Chairwoman, Jacqueline Berrien, was in Birmingham yesterday, citing the city as an example in overcoming racism. Ms. Berrien, graduated from Harvard Law School and began her legal career in Birmingham, clerking for now-retired Judge U.W. Clemon in 1986. Ms. Berrien is quoted as saying that "Birmingham is a wonderful example of a city that has not hidden from its history, but embraced it and learned from it." When the EEOC was formed in 1965, Ms. Berrien noted that newspapers commonly advertised for positions "that only men and whites need apply" to, and that women were discharged if they became pregnant. The EEOC how has jurisdiction over claims arising from, among other things, age discrimination, disability discrimination and discrimination based on family medical history pursuant to the Genetic Information Non Discrimination Act (GINA). EEOC statistics from 2009 indicate that race discrimination still comprises the most common claim with the EEOC, with over 28,000 charges filed, or 36% of the charges filed with the EEOC. Sex discrimination comprised 30%, national origin almost 12% and religious discrimination totaling 3.6%. Interestingly, a second EEOC Commissioner, Constance Barker, has Alabama ties, since she is originally from Montgomery.
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