Mecklenburg Democrats director resigns in letter alleging discrimination, reports say
The executive director of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party resigned this week with a letter alleging "intolerable" working conditions, according to multiple news reports.
In a Wednesday letter, reported by Axios Charlotte and Q City Metro , Monifa Drayton compared her experience to that of "professional Black women during the Jim Crow era."
Drayton wrote she was "forewarned of the alleged racism, discrimination, incompetence and manipulation" within the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party but took a job with the party in June 2024 "at the request of the community leaders" and out of "love for politics" and her community. Prior to the Democrats, Drayton was interim president of the Arts and Science Council for seven months. She's also a career coach and leadership consultant at Drayton Leadership Group, LLC .
She alleges she was stripped of job responsibilities by Mecklenburg Democrats and that other staff were told not to talk to her, according to the reports.
Drayton declined to comment further to the Observer, citing advice from an attorney.
Her resignation letter isn't the first time Drayton had raised concerns about the workplace.
In August, she sent another message to party leaders saying she'd experienced "ongoing disconnects regarding leadership expectations, appropriate behavior and role clarification which has had far-reaching, negative impacts," according to a copy of the email obtained by the Observer.
Drayton wrote in the August email she "was beyond shocked" by a board meeting about her job performance and requested the party agree to a memorandum of understanding laying out her duties and calling for a "mediator or HR consultant" to help with communication and resolving "any disputes" between herself and the party chair.
In a statement, Mecklenburg Democrats said the party doesn't comment publicly on personnel matters.
"What we can say is that our organization, like our fundamental party beliefs, remains steadfastly committed to the principles of a diverse workforce and opportunity for all people," the statement said.
Party Chairman Drew Kromer declined to provide additional comments about the situation.
