Tag: free speech claim

A former UNC Charlotte employee is suing the university for discrimination after a viral video of her suggesting diversity and equity policies were still occurring on campus led to her firing in May.

Janique Sanders was an assistant director in the university’s Office of Leadership and Community Engagement. She also was the subject of an undercover video posted by the conservative activist group Accuracy in Media, or AIM, which was viewed nearly 5 million times.

In clipped scenes of Sanders, she’s discussing the university’s use of DEI policies. However, the university repealed all of its DEI policies last year. While Sanders noted the repeal, she suggested that the university was still adhering to those policies under different names and initiatives.

She was fired in May, a day after the video went viral and as the Department of Education was informing universities that they would lose federal funding if they didn’t eliminate DEI policies.

In the suit filed on Dec. 22 in federal court in Charlotte, Sanders alleges she was fired based on her race and that her First Amendment right to free speech was violated due to her termination. She also alleges that the university did not investigate the claim against her, nor did it give her a reason for her termination.

Sanders’ attorney, Artur Davis at HKM Employment Attorneys LLP, which is based in New York, said she didn’t violate any university policies during the taped conversation. Instead, she was just voicing her opinion on DEI.

“Sanders went on to express her personal viewpoint that while DEI had been abandoned as a matter of policy in the UNC system, its original values ought to remain vital parts of campus life,” the lawsuit stated. “Race was at least a motivating factor in (university’s) termination of Sanders.”

Sanders is African American, the suit noted.

The university doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation, university Deputy Chief Communications Officer Christy Jackson said.

UNC Charlotte lawsuit details

The AIM video showed Sanders being asked about the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies. According to the lawsuit, the video was recorded in October or November 2024 when two people came into Sanders’ department inquiring about job opportunities related to DEI initiatives.

Last year, the UNC System Board of Governors repealed its DEI policies and dedicated offices, launching a new “institutional neutrality” policy. That was in line with policies pushed by President Donald Trump.

In the video, Sanders is seen saying that while explicit DEI positions no longer exists, the university is still operating with that mind frame. “We’ve renamed; we’ve reorganized; we’ve recalibrated, so to speak,” Sanders said in the video.

After the video went viral, Sanders received a text from the university asking if that was her in the video and later letting her know that an investigation would occur.

The lawsuit alleges that an investigation did not happen, Sanders wasn’t questioned and, to her knowledge, the university never asked for nor watched the full video.

In a previous statement from the university, officials said that Sanders’ statements were inaccurate and she was not authorized to speak on the issues discussed in the video. UNC Charlotte added that Sanders was not a policy-maker.

Sanders’ defense in UNC Charlotte DEI case

Sanders began working at UNC Charlotte in 2021 in a dedicated DEI office.

When the university repealed its DEI policy, Sanders was moved to the Leadership and Community Engagement office.

According to the suit, leadership in Sanders’ new office said they wanted to “preserve core aspects of its prior mission without running afoul of the Board of Governors’ anti-DEI mandate,” which is what Sanders reiterated in the video.

The suit adds that Sanders was expressing an opinion when she said that DEI still mattered to make sure that students feel supported.

Since this was Sanders’ first disciplinary offense, the suit noted that termination isn’t a typical move.

Sanders is seeking compensation for lost wages and emotional pain but did not cite a specific amount.

“Instead of defending one of its own stars, (the university) bowed to bigotry and the threat of political backlash,” Davis said in a news release.

This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 2:36 PM.