Charlotte Joins Growing List of North Carolina Cities Caught Pushing DEI
July 8, 2026
Many Americans believe President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs ended the use of this divisive ideology in government. But Accuracy in Media’s investigations tell a different story.
For months, Accuracy in Media has been uncovering how government officials continue advancing DEI initiatives—not by abandoning them, but by renaming them, hiding them, and embedding them deeper into local government.
Our investigation into the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, reveals exactly how that strategy works.
An Accuracy in Media investigator spoke with Ja’kari Clayton, Charlotte’s Belonging & Engagement Program Coordinator, who openly described mandatory and voluntary DEI training programs still operating throughout city government.
According to Clayton, every newly hired supervisor or manager participates in mandatory QUEST leadership training, which includes a DEI component designed to explain “what it truly means,” breaking down each part of the acronym while teaching new leaders “how to truly lead for inclusion.”
Beyond mandatory training, Clayton said the city also offers DEI 101 courses and implicit bias training to any city employee.
When asked whether the city incorporates anti-racism into its programming, Clayton answered plainly.
“That kind of does go into our DEI 101 and our implicit bias training. We bring in components of that too.”
Clayton also described the city’s emphasis on intersectionality, explaining that employees are taught to view individuals through overlapping identities including race, gender, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and education level–core concepts long associated with DEI ideology.
Perhaps most revealing was Clayton’s explanation that DEI work extends well beyond the office formally responsible for it.
“I would say there are a lot of ways to get into equity work in the City of Charlotte,” Clayton said. “They may not necessarily be in the title… Charlotte Water, Housing and Neighborhood Services… Community Relations–that’s their entire jam.”
In other words, the work is spread throughout city government, even when DEI isn’t explicitly part of a department’s name.
Then came the admission that ties together months of AIM investigations.
“The cool thing is, you know, we have upper management still behind us,” Clayton said. “The work is still the work. We keep going with the good work.”
When our investigator asked the obvious follow-up–whether DEI is continuing even if it isn’t called DEI anymore–Clayton didn’t dispute the premise.
“We know what it means and what it truly is,” Clayton replied. “As long as people want to understand what it’s really about, that’s the most important thing.”
The message could not be clearer.
Charlotte officials acknowledge that names may change, but the underlying programs continue. Whether labeled DEI, belonging, engagement, equity, or inclusion, city employees describe the same training, the same philosophy, and the same objectives.
In June 2026, following Accuracy in Media’s prior undercover investigations into Raleigh and Winston-Salem, North Carolina lawmakers enacted legislation specifically banning DEI programs at the local government level. Yet admissions captured by AIM’s undercover investigators raise questions about whether the city of Charlotte intends to comply or abandon these new initiatives.
Accuracy in Media will continue exposing efforts to evade laws designed to eliminate taxpayer-funded DEI.
If you believe local governments should comply with North Carolina law, take action today by visiting SaveCarolinaCities.com.