The EEOC chair knows gutting diversity reporting will blind the agency to discrimination. She’s doing it anyway.

On April 22, Andrea Lucas, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), addressed a group of academics, legal experts, and community advocates at a conference at Harvard University. 

The conversation immediately turned to the elephant in the room: the EEOC’s investigation into anti-Semitism at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of the investigation, the EEOC subpoenaed the university for the names and contacts of employees affiliated with Jewish groups at the university, a move that stirred controversy and raised safety concerns from students and faculty. 

As she was not at liberty to speak about ongoing litigation, Lucas spoke in general terms and offered a simple explanation about why the EEOC collects data. Across the commission’s 60-year history, the agency has collected information, she said. 

“Why?” she asked. “Because there is no other way to protect victims of harassment or discrimination unless you collect information about them.” 

Less than a month later, the EEOC submitted a proposal to rescind the regulation requiring employers, unions, and state and local governments with more than 100 employees to report their racial and gender demographics, ending six decades of precedent. These rules also apply to ...