The EEOC’s Planned Parenthood Action Clarifies What Not to Do in DEI Initiatives

The EEOC’s Planned Parenthood Action Clarifies What Not to Do in DEI Initiatives

In a March 19, 2026 announcement, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe Planned Parenthood of Illinois violated Title VII by using mandatory race-segregated “affinity caucuses,” requiring employees to attend DEI-related sessions that the agency said included derogatory statements directed at white employees, and providing a time-off benefit to Black employees that was not equally available to white employees. The matter ended in a $500,000 …