One by one, U.S. civil rights agency dismantles tools to fight discrimination

The EEOC was established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to address entrenched discrimination in employment. Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images hide caption

In 1966, the newly-established Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a rule to tackle entrenched discrimination on the job.

Every year, companies with a hundred or more workers would turn over to the government information about the race, ethnicity, sex and job categories of their employees.

This EEO-1 data, as it's known, has helped the federal agency figure out where people of color and women are not getting hired or promoted. Over decades, the EEOC's work has led to settlements worth billions.

Now, as part of a realignment of civil rights enforcement under President Trump, the EEOC is seeking to end its annual data collection while also getting rid of a 1979 regulation that allowed employers to take certain steps to address race and gender imbalances revealed by the data.

Together, the moves would mark an about-face in the civil rights agency's efforts to fulfill its mission.

Andrea Lucas, the Trump-appointed chair of the EEOC, did not respond to NPR's questions about the two proposals, which have been submitted to the White House for review .

But in interviews and public remarks, Lucas has repeatedly warned that programs or policies aimed at helping specific groups, such as Black people or women, are unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if they exclude others.