It’s not a very well-celebrated holiday, even though its been around for more than 50 years. On November 18, 1957, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed November 19 as Equal Opportunity Day, by saying, “Let every citizen of the United States, whether an employer or employee, farmer or businessman, join in the effort to abolish all artificial discrimination which hinders the right of each American to advance in accordance with his merits as a human being and his capacity for productive work.” The holiday came on the heels of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which Eisenhower and his fellow Democrats established to give all African Americans the right to vote. With Equal Opportunity Day, the President wanted to establish a day to highlight the rights of everyone to have meaningful work.