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The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) has come under scrutiny for reportedly organizing employees into distinct groups labeled as a “White caucus” and a “people of color caucus.” This initiative was part of a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program funded by taxpayers.
A collaborative investigation by Spotlight on Maryland, involving The Baltimore Sun, FOX 45 News, and WJLA, uncovered documents revealing that the agency engaged external consultants to facilitate racial equity training. These consultants recommended that BCHD hold separate meetings for the “White caucus” and the “people of color caucus.”
The obtained records illustrate how taxpayer funds were allocated to purportedly assist White individuals in recognizing their “own complicity and systemic racism.”
Documents reveal that the Baltimore City Health Department hired external consultants to execute training sessions that endorsed the formation of “White caucus” and “people of color caucus” meetings. (Google Maps)
Financial documents acquired by Spotlight on Maryland indicate that BCHD spent around $50,000 from 2022 to 2024 on an “Undoing Racism Workshop.” This workshop was conducted by the Louisiana-based organization, People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.
In one internal email, a Baltimore City Office of Equity & Civil Rights employee described the organization as “OG radical organizers.”
Spotlight on Maryland states that the organization paid the People’s Institute to attend and provide feedback for a monthly group. (Getty / Stock photo)
According to Spotlight on Maryland, the organization paid the People’s Institute to attend and provide feedback for its monthly “White Caucus Group,” which is 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.”
“These goals require some time and intentional spaces where White people can do the personal work of understanding our own complicity and systemic racism and build the skills necessary to challenge that complicity,” the agency’s description of the scheduled meetings reportedly said according to the 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 outlet reportedly show that BHCD spent more than $2,000 in taxpayer funds on food for a three-day racial equity training hosted by the People’s Institute in November 2024.
The cupola of Baltimore City Hall is seen amid the skyline in Baltimore. (REUTERS/Stephanie Keith)
A spokesperson for the People’s Institute defended its role, referring to the meetings as “affinity spaces.”
“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 demonstrates that members feel more supported by colleagues after participating. These groups create opportunities to share ideas and offer feedback in smaller spaces, which then improves the quality of dialogue and problem solving across the department,” the spokesperson told the outlet.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to the BCDHD for comment.