A Planned Parenthood Federation of America employee responsible for expanding the organization’s visibility among Black and Latinx communities claims in a lawsuit she was fired last year after complaining about systemic racial discrimination at the US nonprofit.
Nicole Moore, the director of multicultural brand engagement for about two years, alleges she was unlawfully terminated in November 2021 and that senior executives at the reproductive-health group blatantly ignored reports from dozens of Black employees about unequal hiring, promotion and overt hostility, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York
“Instead of addressing the issues, Planned Parenthood has doubled down by punishing employees of color who dare to speak up, pre-textually disciplining them and creating work conditions so intolerable that they are effectively forced to leave,” Moore’s lawyer said in the filing.
Planned Parenthood denied the discrimination claim. “Our staff is at the core of who we are and we work everyday to ensure a safe and welcoming environment,” interim general counsel Susan Manning said in an emailed statement. The organization “will vigorously defend against this suit and welcomes the opportunity to share the complete picture,” she said.
The organization has been a leading proponent of abortion rights and legal fights against state bans on the procedure since the US Supreme Court ruled in June there is no constitutional right to abortion.
Moore claimed she’d earned a reputation as a hard worker after taking the job in January 2020, but was targeted by a hostile supervisor who previously had been accused of racist behavior, according to the court filing.
After Moore spoke up “politely” about unfair treatment of Black employees, she was subjected to disciplinary measures “clearly intended to silence her complaints,” her lawyers said. She complained to human resources that the measures appeared retaliatory, and then she was fired, according to the suit.
The complaint also includes the names and accounts of other Black women at Planned Parenthood who allege racism at work, including one director who said she was “shocked” when a colleague asked to “pet” her hair in front of a room full of people and was accused of “playing the race card” when she complained about racist behavior.
In June, another former employee sued Planned Parenthood saying she was fired after she complained about antisemitism at the organization.
The case is Nicole Moore v. Planned Parenthood, 22-cv-8899, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
Photo: Signage outside the Planned Parenthood South Dallas Surgical Health Services Center in Dallas / Bloomberg
Topics Lawsuits
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