DENVER - Nancy Sienko, the Denver Field Director of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will present the keynote address on November 20 when the African American Voice newspaper hosts a celebration-filled evening honoring the 18th anniversary of serving diverse communities in Colorado.

            The event will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Academy Best Western Hotel, 

            Ms. Sienko's keynote speech, "Who is the EEOC and How Does it Relate to the African American Community?" will address the timely issues of covert and overt racism in employment, including egregious instances of racial harassment. Ms. Sienko will also be available to meet one-on-one with the public.

            From 2003 to 2008, the EEOC observed a 17 percent increase in discrimination charge filings nationwide. However, during this same time period, the caseload in Colorado grew by 46 percent -which included a higher-than-average increase in charges based on race, sex and retaliation for protesting job bias. In 2003, 24.9 percent of the charges filed in Colorado were based on race. By 2008, the percentage had increased to 26.1 percent.

            The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination because of race, sex, national origin, religion, color, age, disability and retaliation. The EEOC's Denver Field Office has jurisdiction for Colorado and Wyoming. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Patricia McMahon
Program Analyst
EEOC - Denver Field Office
(303) 866-1344
patricia.mcmahon@eeoc.gov