North Carolina City DEI Director: ‘Our City’s Support… Has Been Amazing’
September 10, 2026
When you’re paying tax dollars, you’d like to think your money is going toward roads, police, schools, and basic city services. But in Salisbury, North Carolina, taxpayers are still funding a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department, even as DEI programs face growing political opposition across the state.
Anne Little is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the City of Salisbury. She spoke candidly with an undercover Accuracy in Media journalist about the city’s DEI efforts and the political pressure surrounding them.
“Needless to say, equity work is not a whole lot… around these days,” Little said, before quickly correcting herself. “Well, I won’t say that. It’s just the politics of the DEI.”
When asked whether that political climate was affecting her work, Little acknowledged the pressure, but said Salisbury’s support for the department remained very strong.
“No,” she said. “Depending on what your belief system is, we’re beyond blessed in terms of our job and what we do with the city.”
Little went on to praise Salisbury officials for continuing to support the department.
“Our city’s support for our department, it’s just been amazing. It’s amazing. And so we do a lot of stuff.”
This isn’t the first time Accuracy in Media has uncovered local North Carolina officials continuing DEI work despite the growing backlash against these programs. AIM previously exposed officials in Asheville and Buncombe County discussing their ongoing equity efforts.
In Salisbury, Little suggested the department itself is undergoing a shift in how it describes its mission.
“It’s interesting. We’re going through the shift of who we are and what we do,” she said. “Our city’s been on culture and engagement. We make sure of that.”
The language may be shifting, but taxpayers deserve to know whether the work behind it is changing too.
And North Carolina lawmakers have begun responding.
After Accuracy in Media visited these local governments, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed a strict local-government DEI ban that includes fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The legislation has yet to clear the Senate.
Until lawmakers finish the job, North Carolina taxpayers are left footing the bill for DEI programs that local officials themselves acknowledge are politically controversial, and, in Salisbury, continue to enjoy what Little called “amazing” support from the city.
Tell North Carolina lawmakers to act: SaveCarolinaCities.com.