Planned Parenthood of Illinois to Pay $500K to End DEI-Related Investigation

Planned Parenthood of Illinois (Planned Parenthood) violated federal law when they segregated employees by race, subjected white employees to harassment, and engaged in disparate treatment against white employees regarding terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged as part of a class investigation into charges brought by multiple Planned Parenthood employees.

The EEOC said Planned Parenthood will $500,000 to end the investigation.

According to the EEOC’s reasonable cause findings, Planned Parenthood had mandatory “affinity caucuses” that were segregated by race, in which employees of other races were not allowed to participate.

In addition to racially harassing statements made by a Planned Parenthood manager, Planned Parenthood allegedly demanded that all employees attend DEI-related training sessions which involved repeated harassing and derogatory statements targeting white employees, including that they “are White and 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).”

The EEOC said that a weekly basis, staff were required to attend one to two hour sessions of either the segregated racial affinity caucuses or DEI training.

The alleged conduct violated the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits race discrimination.

The EEOC reached an agreement with Planned Parenthood through its administrative conciliation process after conducting an investigation and finding reasonable cause to believe Planned Parenthood engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment against white employees.

Source: EEOC