History of the Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe first presidential action ever taken to prevent employment discrimination was taken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in June 1941, when he signed Executive Order 8802 which prohibited government contractors from hiring in employment discrimination based on race, color, or national origin (EEOC Milestones). Throughout the civil rights movement, a number of other legislative measures were taken to contribute to greater equality of opportunity in the United States. In June 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which protected men and women doing substantially equal work in the same establishment. wage discrimination based on sex. Just two months later, approximately 250,000 Americans of all races marched in Washington, D.C., for racial equality and justice. The large, peaceful rally took place in front of the Lincoln Memorial and was the event that included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech (EEOC Milestones). In 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially created the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a five-member bipartisan commission whose mission is to eliminate discrimination illegal in employment matters. The EEOC opened its doors on July 2, 1965, a year after Title VII was enacted. The EEOC has worked to prevent employment discrimination for the past five decades. Their mission has remained the same, but changing laws have required them to make some changes to processes and controls. Structure of the EEOC The EEOC is a “bipartisan commission composed of five members appointed by the President, including the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and three Commissioners. The President is responsible for the administration...... middle of paper ...... if a party refuses mediation, the normal process described above is followed. Conclusion Overall, the EEOC provides services to rectify discrimination cases filed by the United States. employees in the private and public sectors and work to prevent discrimination before it happens. The EEOC wants to prevent as much discrimination in the workplace as possible by telling employees and employers about the laws they enforce. They also write and publish materials on equal employment opportunity laws and rules to help applicants, employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. The ultimate goal is to reduce workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy). , national origin, disability, age (40 years or older) or genetic information by applying the federal laws in place for this purpose.