Former Sierra Club Foundation director sues over internal racism allegations

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Pedro da Silva, a former director at the Sierra Club Foundation, has sued the nonprofit in California state court, alleging internal racism and retaliation after he complained about discrimination and lack of diversity within the organization, according to the lawsuit described in a report by the Associated Press.

Da Silva joined the Sierra Club Foundation in May 2023 to run its “Shifting Trillions” program, which aimed to push major banks to shift investment away from fossil fuels and toward climate solutions. The Sierra Club, the AP reported, had increased its emphasis on environmental justice after the murder of George Floyd, and the group had apologized for the racist views of its founder, John Muir, while vowing to hire more diverse staff.

In his lawsuit, Da Silva, 29, said the foundation’s public commitments to racial justice did not extend to workplace treatment inside the organization. He alleged that “normal workplace interactions” were turned into an unfair harassment complaint that leaned on racist stereotypes about “predatory Black men,” and he said he viewed his firing as retaliation for the concerns he repeatedly raised, the AP reported.

“That’s what hurts movements so much,” Da Silva told the Associated Press, adding that leaders said organizations published diversity statements as a strength but still made it “impossible for diverse leaders to survive.” The report said the lawsuit was filed Thursday, and da Silva is seeking relief tied to the termination.

The AP reported that the foundation is contesting the suit. A Sierra Club Foundation spokesperson said the decision to fire Da Silva was “carefully considered,” and that his claims “were not the cause of his termination, are antithetical to our values and policies and are completely without merit,” adding that the foundation is “in the process of vigorously defending our position in the appropriate legal forum.”

The lawsuit also comes after a turbulent period for the broader Sierra Club. The AP reported that the group faced a $40 million budget deficit in 2023, and that then-executive director Ben Jealous oversaw three rounds of layoffs that eliminated about 10% of staff. The report said Jealous, described as the club’s first Black leader, was ousted last August after staff accusations of harassment and bullying, and that Jealous considered the move “racial retaliation.”

Da Silva and Jealous are represented by the same civil rights and employment firm, Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai, LLP, the AP reported. The AP also cited da Silva’s view that his case fits a broader pattern in philanthropy, where Black leaders may be hired for equity-focused roles but may not receive the support needed to carry their missions, particularly when funding and political tolerance for diversity efforts retrench.

The AP said the foundation had promised early expansion and resources for “Shifting Trillions.” Da Silva said he took a 40% pay cut to build what he was told would become a full department and said the job description required the leader to “model equity, inclusion, and justice.” He said the foundation promised to hire “a bunch of people” in his second year, expecting a staff of 6-10, but that he was denied “virtually all of the resources” he believed were required to meet those goals.

According to the lawsuit as described by the AP, tensions escalated as Da Silva spoke up about what he saw as inequities on the foundation’s board and hiring decisions, including stating that the board had no Black women and objecting to a decision related to replacing a chief legal officer. The report also said the lawsuit described interactions in which executive director Dan Chu allegedly told him he was helping “drum up harassment complaints” against Jealous to oust him.

In the account provided in the AP report, the dispute deepened when da Silva raised concerns about how Black employees were being treated and spoken about, the report said. It also said that in late January 2025, according to the lawsuit, the foundation’s new chief legal officer texted da Silva that he was under investigation, and that the foundation accused him of harassment and hostility for interactions with a subordinate that included recommending an Octavia Butler novel, sharing music by Etta James and Outkast, sending after-hours texts, and taking a work walk through a park.

The AP report also connected the lawsuit to wider concerns about diversity efforts and Black leadership in the sector. It cited concerns described by Michael Leach, the first-ever White House chief diversity officer under President Joe Biden, who said that when equity is woven into leadership development, decision-making, and accountability, it is less vulnerable to political cycles, adding that organizations have to invest more in trust internally as well as externally. It also cited ABFE President Susan Taylor Batten, who said Black nonprofit leaders described the psychological toll of “constantly negotiating their identity,” according to interviews tied to a survey conducted by Candid and ABFE of more than 200 Black-led nonprofits.

In addition to describing da Silva’s allegations, the AP report portrayed “Shifting Trillions” as a flagship program whose aims were tied to larger efforts to shift financial institutions toward climate solutions and environmental justice, while highlighting questions about whether internal support matched those goals.