The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Wednesday it has launched an investigation into Nike over programs that the agency alleges may have discriminated against white employees.
The EEOC said it had filed an action in federal court in Missouri to compel Nike to produce information related to “systemic race discrimination allegations,” including as a result of the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) targets in 2025 and other DEI-related initiatives, according to a news release. The move comes amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to crack down on DEI programs nationwide.
The EEOC also alleged that the footwear and apparel giant may have engaged in “a pattern or practice of disparate treatment against white employees, applicants and training program participants in hiring, promotion, demotion, or separation decisions, including selection for layoffs; internship programs; and mentoring, leadership development and other career development programs,” according to the agency’s court filing.
Nike and the EEOC each did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“When there are compelling indications, including corporate admissions in extensive public materials, that an employer’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related programs may violate federal prohibitions against race discrimination or other forms of unlawful discrimination, the EEOC will take all necessary steps—including subpoena enforcement actions—to ensure the opportunity to fully and comprehensively investigate,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in a statement on Wednesday. “Title VII’s prohibition of race-based employment discrimination is colorblind and requires the EEOC to protect employees of all races from unlawful employment practices.”
“Thanks to President Trump’s commitment to enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws, the EEOC has renewed its focus on evenhanded enforcement of Title VII,” Lucas continued.
Nike has promoted DEI on its website, claiming that “bringing” its “mission to life” begins with “our people and creating a workforce that represents different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.”
Additionally, Lucas told The New York Times (NYT) in an interview published on Jan. 27 that she thinks the EEOC “is the tip of the spear for implementing a really ambitious civil rights agenda.”
“I think that that mission is to restore a focus on equality as opposed to equity,” she told the NYT. “It’s going back to the concept of equal treatment as opposed to equal outcomes.”
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Republished with permission from Daily Caller News Foundation
