Justice Department Opens Civil Rights Probe Into Baltimore Health Department’s Race-Based Training

Federal investigation targets race-based caucuses

A three-day “Undoing Racism” workshop held inside the Baltimore City Health Department separated employees into two groups: a “white caucus” and a “people of color caucus.” The arrangement—described as part of an anti-racism curriculum—is now the focus of a federal civil rights investigation that could influence how public agencies structure workplace diversity programs.

On Feb. 4, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division opened a pattern-or-practice probe into whether the health department’s training and other employment practices unlawfully “limit, segregate, or classify” employees based on race, color, or national origin in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In a letter to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the department is acting on “publicly available information,” including local reporting that city health staff were separated into race-based groups during “racial equity” programming.

“Separating employees into training groups based on their race is discriminatory, illegal, and un-American,” Dhillon said in an accompanying Justice Department news release. “Such practices are divisive and foster a racially hostile work environment. Racial segregation of employees is deeply offensive to the American guarantee of equal rights under the law, and it will not be tolerated.”

The Justice Department said it has not reached conclusions and is seeking documents, policies, training materials, and data to determine whether the practices amount to an unlawful pattern or practice of discrimination under Section 707 of Title VII.

City response and what’s known so far

Baltimore officials have offered limited detail. In a brief written statement, the mayor’s office said the city “is aware of the DOJ’s letter and will comply with any lawful investigation.” The Baltimore City Health Department and the city’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The probe follows reporting by the Baltimore Sun and television stations WBFF and WJLA, which said the health department paid the Louisiana-based consulting group the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond about $50,000 between 2022 and 2024 for “Undoing Racism” workshops and related services. Invoices and internal descriptions reviewed by those outlets indicated that staff were assigned to a recurring “White Caucus Group” and separate “people of color” sessions.

According to those descriptions, the White Caucus Group was defined as “a group of white people who meet for the purpose of building analysis, awareness, stamina, and strategy to challenge systemic racism and internalized white supremacy.” The materials said “white affinity groups allow us to examine our racial conditioning without relying on people of color for answers or subjecting them to our process.”

The Justice Department’s letter to Scott repeats similar language, stating that city records show the People’s Institute was also paid to attend a monthly White Caucus Group at the health department and “provide feedback” on its operation. The city also spent more than $2,000 on catering for a three-day training in November 2024, according to those records.

A spokesperson for the People’s Institute has defended the programs in media interviews, describing the sessions as voluntary “affinity spaces” similar to employee resource groups common in the private sector. The spokesperson said such groups are intended to improve employee engagement and retention and to create forums where participants feel supported by colleagues.

Key operational facts remain unclear. Public records do not indicate whether participation was mandatory or voluntary, whether employees could decline to join any caucus, or whether white employees attended the “people of color” group or vice versa. It is also not known whether any formal complaints were filed with the city, unions, or federal agencies before the Justice Department’s action. In its letter, the department said its decision was “based on publicly available information,” not on identified charges from individual employees.

The legal standard and the broader DEI debate

Title VII bars employers, including state and local government agencies, from discriminating in any term, condition, or privilege of employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. One provision makes it unlawful to “limit, segregate, or classify” employees in a way that would deprive or tend to deprive them of employment opportunities or adversely affect their status because of a protected characteristic.

Federal enforcement agencies have historically applied that language to cases involving racially segregated facilities, job assignments, or benefits. In early 2025, the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued joint technical guidance warning that some diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives could violate Title VII. The document highlighted race-restricted employee groups and training programs that separate workers by race as examples of “illegal DEI,” even when employers say they are intended to promote inclusion or address past discrimination.

The Baltimore case is among the first major public tests of that guidance in the public sector. If investigators ultimately conclude that race-separated caucuses at the health department violated Title VII, the Justice Department could seek a settlement or file a civil lawsuit in federal court. Remedies could include ending or restructuring the trainings, revising equal-employment policies, requiring new training that complies with federal law, and imposing monitoring or reporting requirements. The department could also seek monetary relief if it finds employees suffered tangible harm tied to the practices.

Baltimore’s history with federal civil rights scrutiny

The investigation arrives in a city long associated with a different form of federal civil rights enforcement. In 2016, the Justice Department under the Obama administration issued a report finding the Baltimore Police Department engaged in unconstitutional and racially biased policing, leading to a consent decree that remains in effect. Mayor Scott’s administration has frequently highlighted progress toward compliance with that agreement.

Now, under President Donald Trump’s second administration and a Civil Rights Division led by Dhillon, federal scrutiny is focused on whether equity-driven workplace programs discriminated against certain employees.

Trump has signed executive orders rolling back DEI requirements in the federal workforce and among federal contractors. Dhillon, a conservative lawyer and critic of what she calls “woke” policies, has redirected Civil Rights Division resources toward claims involving alleged discrimination against white employees, religious conservatives, and opponents of DEI. At the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a Trump-aligned majority has pursued investigations into corporate DEI efforts, including a high-profile case examining whether Nike’s diversity initiatives harmed white workers.

The Justice Department’s move in Baltimore signals that local governments may be drawn into that enforcement agenda. Cities, school districts, and state agencies that have hosted race-based affinity groups or caucus-style trainings could face new legal risk, even when those programs have local political support.

What comes next

The Baltimore City Health Department—the oldest continuously operating local health department in the country—has a stated mission to “protect health, eliminate disparities, and enhance the well-being of everyone” in the city. Much of its work, from overdose prevention to pandemic response, focuses on neighborhoods that are predominantly Black and have long faced worse health outcomes than whiter, wealthier parts of the region.

The department’s current commissioner, Dr. Michelle Taylor, took office in August 2025, after the period when most of the documented payments to the People’s Institute were made. It is unclear what role, if any, she played in designing or continuing the caucus programs—and whether they remain in place.

For now, federal officials are in a fact-gathering phase. The Justice Department has asked the city to preserve and turn over records related to the health department’s trainings and broader employment practices, and it has invited city officials to meet with investigators.

Whether the process ends in a quiet agreement, a contested lawsuit, or a decision to close the probe is likely to reverberate beyond one agency. The outcome could help define how far employers—particularly public institutions—can go in building race-conscious spaces to confront inequality before they run afoul of laws designed to ensure race plays no role in the workplace.