Identity of Speakers
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Janique Sanders
Faculty/Staff
OtherAssistant Director of Leadership and Community Engagement at UNC Charlotte.
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Left wing -
Incident Responses:
Litigation
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
In late May 2025, the conservative advocacy group Accuracy in Media released an undercover video in which Janique Sanders, the Assistant Director of Leadership and Community Engagement at UNC Charlotte, appeared to discuss how diversity, equity and inclusion work continued at the university despite the UNC Board of Governors’ ban on DEI programs. In the video, Sanders said the university had “renamed, reorganized, [and] recalibrated” DEI efforts and suggested there were still “covert” ways to pursue that work. The footage quickly went viral on social media.
On May 29, 2025, UNC Charlotte responded publicly, stating that Sanders was not authorized to speak on institutional policy, that her statements were inaccurate, and that she had no policymaking or compliance role. The university announced that Sanders was no longer employed, citing her comments in the video. The termination sparked backlash from faculty and professional groups, including the UNC Charlotte chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which criticized the university’s response and described the video and subsequent firing as the result of outside pressure.
On December 23, 2025, Sanders filed a federal lawsuit against UNC Charlotte alleging that her First Amendment rights were violated by her termination and that the university engaged in racial discrimination. The complaint stated that Sanders was fired the day after the video went viral, without a full investigation, without interviews, and without consideration of the full context of her remarks. The lawsuit emphasized that she had expressed personal viewpoints rather than official university policy and alleged that race was a motivating factor in her dismissal.
The lawsuit sought compensation for lost wages and emotional distress. It noted that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had issued Sanders a right-to-sue letter, which allowed her to pursue claims of racial discrimination in federal court. The complaint also highlighted procedural concerns, stating that the university indicated an investigation would occur but instead moved quickly to terminate her employment and did not follow its own disciplinary procedures for a first offense.
