The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has launched an investigation into Nike over allegations that the sports giant discriminated against white employees and job applicants.
The federal agency is demanding that Nike turn over information related to the allegations, including the company’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related 2025 Targets and other DEI-related objectives”, it announced on Wednesday.
It comes amid a broader crackdown by Donald Trump’s administration on diversity initiatives, which he has repeatedly decried as “radical”.
“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,” said EEOC chair, Andrea Lucas.
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. The federal agency has the authority to investigate charges against employers who are covered by the law.
Lucas, a Republican, was appointed as acting head of the EEOC by the US president in 2025. Her predecessor during the Biden administration, Charlotte Burrows, was fired shortly after Trump’s return to office last year.
“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,” Lucas said. “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.”
On his first day in office, Trump signed an order directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts. He also signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI. The administration has also targeted universities, urging them to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal funding.
The information that the EEOC is seeking dates back to 2018, and includes criteria used to select employees for layoffs, information related to the company’s tracking, use of worker race and ethnicity data, and information about “16 programs which allegedly provided race-restricted mentoring, leadership, or career development opportunities”.
Lucas has targeted programs related to diversity and gender since being appointed by Trump in 2025, in alignment with the administration’s agenda. In a recent interview with the New York Times, she said that her goal was to undo the consequences of an “aggressive focus by D.E.I. activists” under the Biden administration.
Nike did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.
