Philadelphia DEI officer alleges she was fired for reporting a Black worker’s harassment

The officer alleged a series of discriminatory actions, culminating in her firing for reporting a direct report’s harassment. Dive Insight:Prior to being hired by the city of Philadelphia as a DEI officer, the plaintiff worked for the city as a chief racial equity strategist in 2022. The officer alleged her HR manager stripped her of the ability to hire, manage or discipline staff. The chief of staff allegedly complained about the plaintiff’s direct reports and the mayor allegedly told the DEI officer that she didn’t care about the plaintiff’s “DEI ideology.” Finally, the plaintiff alleged that she began to experience retaliation — and was eventually terminated — after reporting the sexual harassment of a direct report by another colleague.