Winston-Salem government officials admit to pushing DEI initiatives under alternative terminology

January 15, 2026

By Accuracy In Media

The city government in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is using public resources to impose Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on its citizens, in defiance of federal law.

In fact, the city’s former Equity Assurance Administrator, Julie Puckett, says the city is lucky to have “city management, city leadership, that supports DEI.”

Accuracy in Media’s undercover investigator visited Winston-Salem and met with Puckett, who explained how the city continues its DEI efforts under different terminology.

“Like most places, we’re looking at alternative terminology, because as I said, it’s not the words that count, it’s the work,” Puckett told AIM’s hidden camera.

AIM President Adam Guillette traveled to North Carolina to speak to Puckett directly. However, by the time he arrived, Puckett had quietly retired.

Instead, Guillette spoke with Bob Thompson, the city’s Language Access Coordinator.

Thompson admitted that the city’s DEI initiatives are ongoing, though he claimed it is not DEI because the “basic tenets have been there for years.” He added that the city wants “everybody to be a part of what’s going on. We’re not going to exclude people just because. That’s inclusion.”

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a federal executive order titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.”

Thompson acknowledged that “the executive orders simply caused a change in nomenclature,” adding that the DEI work “continues on.”

The investigation into the City of Winston-Salem follows a previous AIM investigation revealing that government officials in Raleigh, North Carolina, were still using public funds for DEI initiatives.

Go to SaveCarolinaCities.com to send one message directly to Winston-Salem leaders about how Puckett and the city government are putting federal funds at risk by prioritizing DEI. 

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