Dive Brief:
- Planned Parenthood of Illinois violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it held mandatory “affinity caucuses” segregated by race, subjected White employees to racially harassing statements, and denied White employees the same access to time off it allowed Black employees, according to a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission news release from Thursday.
- EEOC conducted an investigation after receiving complaints from multiple employees, it said. It reached its agreement through its administrative conciliation process.
- “Title VII guarantees equal treatment for every employee and prohibits race discrimination in America’s workplaces,” Andrea Lucas, EEOC chair, said in a statement. “Those protections equally apply to white workers. There is no DEI exception to Title VII’s requirements.”
Dive Insight:
According to EEOC’s new release, the alleged discrimination and harassment flowed from Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ DEI program. Employees were mandated to attend one- to two-hour sessions of either “segregated racial affinity caucuses” or DEI training, the latter of which involved statements including that its White employees “do not feel racism the same way non-White patients feel” and that “white supremacy is exerted at every level of oppression (individual, interpersonal, organizational, and societal),” EEOC alleged.
Some of the harassing conduct came from one manager, EEOC said, noting it was “pleased” the organization ultimately removed the manager.
Adrienne White-Faines, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, told HR Dive the alleged misconduct took place under prior leadership.
“In the time since this complaint was filed, and since I came on board as President and CEO in 2025, I have overseen significant change at the organization, including across the leadership team,” she said in an emailed statement. “PPIL has now come to an agreement with the EEOC about a path forward that will allow us to put this matter behind us and continue providing critical health care services to our valued patients from Illinois and across the country.”
The Planned Parenthood of Illinois investigation falls squarely in line with the priorities EEOC has identified since the Trump administration took office in early 2025. One year ago, the organization released two guiding documents laying out how DEI programming can be unlawful, with “segregating” workers and harassing employees based on race being two of its examples.
Since that time, attorneys who have spoken to HR Dive or at employment law events have predicted DEI programs and “reverse discrimination” would soon be big targets for the agency.
Lucas seemed to undergird these predictions by soliciting charges specifically from White men last December. And last month, the agency doubled down on its positioning as a DEI watchdog when it issued a letter to the entire Fortune 500 warning them against DEI that violates Title VII, saying it would use “all statutory tools” to fulfill its mission.
Certain companies are already beginning to contend with investigations related to DEI. For example, Nike is currently sparring with the agency in EEOC’s attempt to look deeper into the company’s hiring practices. In February, EEOC asked a Missouri district court to enforce an administrative subpoena against the company, to obtain complete information in its investigation — a move Nike said was a “surprising and unusual escalation” on the agency’s part.
In response, earlier this week, Nike asked a judge to either dismiss the case due to improper venue or to transfer it to Oregon, where the company is registered and conducts most of its hiring.