WASHINGTON — In response to President Donald Trump’s decision to fire two commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies issues the following statement as a reminder that America’s Black think tank remains fully dedicated to advocating for robust policy solutions that prioritize Black workers and learners today and in the future.
“This unprecedented action to dismiss EEOC Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels directly threatens workplace civil rights protections and the EEOC’s independence as a bipartisan agency,” said Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad. “The EEOC was established under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect workers from discrimination based on race, gender, disability, religion, age, and other characteristics. Bringing to an end the racial inequalities and discrimination still found in the workplace is not discriminatory nor unlawful, it is the right of every individual to have the ability to be protected within their workplace and to have the ability to provide for themselves or their families. The Joint Center remains steadfast in our mission to advance policies that strengthen opportunities and protections for Black workers in workforce development, as a further step toward ending our nation’s long history of racial economic inequality.”
Joint Center Workforce Policy Director Dr. Kayla Elliott said, “The firing of these two commissioners is also a dismissal of the rights of all workers. The premature removal of these two commissioners from their terms undermines the purpose of the EEOC. The EEOC is an independent, bipartisan agency that exists to protect employees, not serve the political agenda of any administration. We are deeply concerned that the EEOC’s new priority will be to uproot employers with perfectly legal employment practices rather than upholding protections against discrimination.”
In 2022, Burrows joined the Joint Center’s Future of Black Communities Summit to discuss the policy priorities of the EEOC; the challenges of AI and automated tools in assessing Black workers; and strategies for employers to prevent discriminatory outcomes from emerging technologies. In 2023, Burrows released the report, Building for the Future: Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity In the Construction Industry, highlighting the need for new and collaborative approaches to fight against employment discrimination within the construction industry. The report referenced the Joint Center’s issue brief, Five Charts to Understand Black Registered Apprentices in the United States, to showcase the underrepresentation of Black workers in apprenticeship programs.
The Joint Center thanks both Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels for their work on the Commission and for their unwavering commitment to promoting equality within the workplace.
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. We are the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. We use evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies.
