1941 – Executive Order 8802 Bans Racial Discrimination in Defense Industry

On June 18, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, prohibiting racial discrimination in the national defense industry. This landmark directive was the result of pressure from civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph, who threatened a mass march on Washington to protest racial exclusion in defense jobs and training programs. It marked the first federal action to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the U.S. The order also established the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) to investigate complaints and enforce the policy. While not eliminating workplace racism, EO 8802 paved the way for future civil rights legislation, increased Black employment during WWII, and helped launch a broader movement for racial equality in federal contracting. Randolph’s strategic leverage showed how protest could shape national policy, setting a precedent for later civil rights campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s.