WS Chronicle

Despite concerns raised by Commissioner Malishai Woodbury and citizens about a racist photo printed in 1902, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners has voted to move forward with contracts with  Owen G. Dunn Company, a printing company utilized  throughout the state for printing election products. 

On Thursday, Sep. 19, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners were scheduled to approve two contracts totaling $129,274 with Owen G. Dunn Company (also known as Printelect) for their services during the upcoming election.  According to information taken from the company’s website, Owen G. Dunn is based in New Bern and offers a wide range of high election supplies including voting booths, ballot printing and voting equipment sales. 

Ahead of the meeting, Woodbury, who is a Democrat and was elected in 2022 to represent District A, shared a photo that was printed by Owen G. Dunn Company that shows a young Black boy eating watermelon with the caption “Satisfied with Life,” New Bern, North Carolina. In the same post Woodbury showed the cover of the book Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social by David Pilgrim. The cover  has a drawing of a racist cartoon character eating watermelon, similar to the photo printed by Owen G. Dunn. 

A number of caricatures of African Americans emerged during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. These racist caricatures of African American men, women and children shared the traits of either laziness or inaction. They depicted African Americans as being distinctly different from mainstream white culture and dehumanized the entire race. Over the years, these and other negative depictions were reproduced in printed material such as postcards, games, comics, and children’s books, as well as in radio and television shows, and in movies. The caricatures were also incorporated in the designs for children’s toys, household goods, and commercial advertising campaigns.

In the social media post Woodbury wrote “A picture is worth 1000 words,” along with the question she raised during the Forsyth County Commissioners briefing earlier this month. “Is the same company that printed the picture below the same company that the Forsyth County Government will partner and pay to provide election print services for this year’s historic election?  I asked staff this question at our briefing, Thursday, Sept.12.  I will get a reply next Thursday,” Woodbury wrote.

Woodbury also encouraged citizens to attend the commissioners meeting on Sept. 19. And that’s exactly what they did. Several of them let the board know how they felt about the contracts during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Longtime Winston-Salem resident Phillip Carter, who spoke on behalf of the Coalition for Accountability and Transparency said, “The coalition raises concerns over the potentiality of tampering with voter ballots and question whether adequate safeguards are in place to ensure the integrity of our election process.” 

Carter called for the Forsyth County Board of Elections to pick another vendor. But, if the contracts were approved Carter said voters need assurance that ballots won’t be tampered with. 

“Just as our Forsyth County voters are asked to show IDs at the poles, the Board of Elections and this body should likewise provide proof there will be no voter tampering in the election process if this resolution passes,” Carter said. 

Robert Durrah, chair of the Forsyth County Board of Elections, said he understands the concerns raised around the postcard that was printed in 1902 and said that the board would look into the company’s history but not until after the 2024 Election. 

“We are less than 50 days away from Election Day and only four weeks away from the start of early voting,” Durrah said. “The board of elections has worked with Printelect In conjunction with ES&S since 2006. We’ve been pleased with their reliable and requitable service that they’ve provided to our county and do not wish to infringe on that work so close to the election.”

Before voting on the resolutions, Woodbury proposed an alternate resolution that would’ve allowed ES&S (Election Systems and Softwares), a company based in Omaha, Nebraska, to print the ballots, and only allow Printelect to service the systems. The alternate motion also tabled the vote for a week, but it didn’t receive a second, which is required to move forward for a vote. 

When discussing the contracts Commissioner Tonya McDaniel (D), who also represents District A, mentioned that Owen G. Dunn has a diversity and equal employment policy and a nondiscrimination policy that is outlined in the company’s handbook. McDaniel also mentioned that the postcard was protected by the first amendment. 

“Owen Dunn’s business is just to print paper; they didn’t have anything to do with the photo,” McDaniel continued. “I will not belabor approximately 65,000 ballots to be printed … knowing that North Carolina is a battleground state. As a Commissioner my responsibility is to ensure that our constituents have access to a ballot. I believe we need to focus on the bigger picture figuratively and do something like register voters and ensure that they have access to a valid ID.”

Commissioner Woodbury encouraged the board to be mindful of minimizing historical context that is still in play today. “The effects of what happened 120 years ago is still in alignment with what we see as predominant  issues today,” Woodbury continued. “The reason why we have such concerning data that represents Forsyth County in District A is because of a direct effect of 250 years of slavery and another 100 years of Jim Crow.” 

Woodbury noted that the postcard was common in NC during that time period and was aligned with the White Supremacy Campaign of 1898 which led to the Wilmington Massacre and laws being written to diminish non-white communities. 

“I really want to make sure that I emphasize that we do not need to minimize and provide excuses around a history that is absolutely the facts. I know it’s uncomfortable but if we allow excuses and minimization of what has happened to our ancestors in NC and throughout this country then we are bound to repeat the same thing over and over again.” 

When it came time to vote, the board approved the contracts with Owen G. Dunn, 6-1.