Baltimore health department separates employees by race in training

The Baltimore City Health Department (BCDHD) reportedly separated employees into a “white caucus” and a “people of color caucus” for a series of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices between taxpayers and funders.

According to Spotlight on Maryland, a joint investigative unit of the Baltimore Sun, FOX 45 News and WJLA records show the agency paid outside consultants to conduct racial equity training, then advised BCHD to hold separate “white caucus” and “people of color caucus” meetings.

The documents, obtained by media outlets, show how the city used taxpayer dollars to help white people understand their “own complicity and systemic racism.”

Records indicate that the Baltimore City Health Department paid outside consultants to conduct trainings to advise on “White Caucus” and “People of Color Caucus” meetings. (Google Maps)

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According to the invoices obtained by Spotlight on Maryland, BCHD reportedly paid approximately $50,000 between 2022 and 2024 for an “anti-racism workshop” led by the Louisiana-based People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.

In an internal email, an employee of Baltimore City’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights described the organization as “radical OG organizers.”

Spotlight on Maryland says the organization paid the People’s Institute to participate in a monthly group and provide feedback. (Getty/Stock photo)

According to Spotlight on Maryland, the organization paid the People’s Institute to participate and provide feedback to its monthly “White Caucus Group,” which is a “group of white people who come together for the purpose of developing analysis, awareness, stamina, and strategy to challenge systemic racism and internalized white supremacy.”

“These goals require intentional time and spaces where white people can do the personal work of understanding our own complicity and systemic racism and learn the skills to challenge that complicity,” the description of the agency’s scheduled meetings reportedly said, according to local reports.

“White affinity groups allow us to examine our racial conditioning without relying on people of color for answers or subjecting them to our process.”

Receipts reviewed by the local news outlet reportedly showed BHCD spent more than $2,000 in taxpayer dollars on food for a three-day racial equity training hosted by the People’s Institute in November 2024.

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The dome of Baltimore City Hall is visible in the middle of the Baltimore skyline. (Reuters/Stéphanie Keith)

A spokesperson for the People’s Institute defended its role, calling the meetings “affinity spaces.”

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“Affinity spaces, or employee resource groups as they are called in the corporate world, have been shown to increase employee engagement and retention. Research on affinity groups shows that members feel more supported by their colleagues after participating.

Fox News Digital has also contacted BCDHD for comment.