Lucas tells Fortune 500 to avoid DEI discrimination

On February 26, 2026, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Andrea Lucas sent a letter to the leaders of Fortune 500 companies to ensure that their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs comply with civil rights laws, highlighting the agency’s recent efforts to rein in corporate DEI programs it claims “attack” principles of equal opportunity. 

In the letter, Chair Lucas said: 

I urge Corporate America to reject identity politics as its solution to society’s ills. The only lawful way to stop discrimination on the basis of race or sex, is to stop discriminating on the basis of race or sex. . . . Protecting workers begins with preventing discrimination. The EEOC is committed to helping businesses comply with the law. Hiring workers based on their merit, excellence, and character—not skin color or sex—is the right thing to do and benefits employers and employees alike. 

EEOC sues bottler over female-only networking event 

On February 18, 2026, the EEOC sued Coca-Cola Northeast claiming it held a two-day employer-sponsored trip and networking event at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort in Connecticut for women employees only. The EEOC claims the company only invited female employees to the event, excused the female employees who attended the event from their normal work duties on September 10 and 11, 2024, and paid them their normal salary or wages without requiring them to use vacation or other paid time off. Coca-Cola Northeast didn’t invite any male employees to the event.