The Wilmington Standard Daily Update
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The Wilmington Standard Daily Update
Daily Update March 24, 2026: Investigating a Black Woman Equals Racism
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Wilmington Standard Daily Update for March 24, 2026: Breaking down the turmoil inside the New Hanover County Board of Elections, the suspension of Director DeNay Harris, and the New Hanover NAACP’s charge that any scrutiny of her performance is racism and sexism, raising serious questions about accountability, transparency, and competence in local election oversight.
According to the New Hanover County branch of the NAACP, even questioning the ability of a black woman is tantamount to racism. This is the Wilmington Standard Daily update for Tuesday, March 24th, 2026. Port City Daily and WHQR reported yesterday the relationship between the New Hanover County Board of Elections, New Hanover County itself, and BOE Director DeNay Harris has been on shaky grounds for weeks with accusations from all sides. This dysfunctional relationship in our elections board culminated in Ms. Harris being suspended last Thursday and put on paid administrative leave. Because this was a personnel matter, last night the Board of Elections met in closed session to discuss Ms. Harris' concerns, among them an accusation that her email was being tampered with by an unknown party. After conducting an initial technical review, no email incursions seem to have occurred, but a full report is still on the way. As the Nick Craigshow reported, the Board of Elections voted last night to keep Ms. Harris on suspension while these investigations continue. Enter the NHC NAACP, who released a statement yesterday claiming the allegations by Ms. Harris, quote, reveal a troubling pattern of behavior that raises serious concerns about systemic racism, sexism, and abuse of authority within a key public institution, end quote. In other words, ignore the documented concerns that the county and elections board have about Ms. Harris. Ignore the fact there are things the public does not know at this point of time because it is an ongoing personnel investigation. Pay no mind to the reality that Ms. Harris is still getting a paycheck while the investigation is taking place, as is required by law. And finally, the reality that the BOE chose a black woman in the first place over two white men is of no importance. According to the NHC NAACP, since Ms. Harris is black and a woman, doggone it, this must be about race and sex and not about, for example, competence. Perhaps when it comes to racism, the NHC NAACP should first look in the mirror. For the Wilmington Standard, I'm Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.