NOW Holds Demonstrations at EEOC Field Offices Across the Country
The National Organization for Women (NOW) held demonstrations on this day at the field offices of the new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) across the country because of its weak attitude toward sex discrimination in employment.
The EEOC was initially reluctant to take a strong stand in challenging sex discrimination, despite the clear language of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
President Lyndon Johnson did not include sex in his 1965 Executive Order 11246 on affirmative action, which he issued on September 24, 1965. Under pressure from feminists, notably the new National Organization for Women (NOW), Johnson added sex discrimination with Executive Order 11375, on October 13, 1967.
Watch a video on the 40th anniversary of NOW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GXcNYaY5Yk
Learn more about the EEOC and women: Cynthia Harrison, On Account of Sex: The Politics of Women’s Issues, 1945–1968 (1988)
Read about the history of NOW: http://now.org/about/history/affirmative-action
Learn more about the growth of women’s rights: Gail Collins, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present (2009)
Read more about affirmative action from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights: http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/affirmaction.html