by Virignia Mercury

The Virginia NAACP has told Gov. Glenn Youngkin it’s planning to sue to try to gain access to records showing how his administration is handling diversity, equity and inclusion issues.

According to NAACP documents, the group was seeking an expansive trove of records shedding light on how Youngkin has affected the mission of Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that Democratic lawmakers established as a cabinet position in 2020. Youngkin subsequently renamed it the Office of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion.

The NAACP asked for all records concerning the “creation” of the office, the “goals and objectives” of the office, the “responsibilities” of the office and a variety of other documents that might detail how the office operates. The request also asked for “all communications” between the DEI office and the governor’s office, General Assembly members and state government officials.

The civil rights organization said the Youngkin administration called its request overbroad and not specific enough for a response. According to an email from Youngkin’s FOIA officer that the NAACP published, the administration asked the group to provide specific “search terms” to narrow down the request. 

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