Eleanor Holmes Norton Becomes First Female Chair of EEOC
On this day, Eleanor Holmes Norton became the first woman, and also the first African-American woman, to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Norton had previously worked as an attorney for the ACLU, and in a famous incident on September 30, 1968, she represented segregationist George Wallace in a case where New York City had denied him use of Shea Stadium for a political rally.
Norton later chaired the New York City Commission on Human Rights (March 23, 1970). And on January 3, 1991, she became the non-voting Delegate from the District of Columbia in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Watch an interview with Rep. Norton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OSa9uzjAlA
Read her story: Eleanor Holmes Norton and Joan Lester, Fire in My Soul (2003)
Go to Norton’s Congressional home page: http://norton.house.gov/
See the list of laws enforced by the EEOC here
See also the EEOC’s list of prohibited employment policies and practices here