Editing Douglas Wilder (section)

==Post-political career==
Wilder has continued as a [[distinguished professor]] in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at [[Virginia Commonwealth University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=L. DOUGLAS WILDER |url=https://wilder.vcu.edu/people/faculty/l-douglas-wilder.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Faculty |publisher=L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs}}</ref>  He writes occasional editorials for Virginia newspapers.

Douglas Wilder is the founder of the [[United States National Slavery Museum]], a non-profit organization based in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The museum has been fundraising and campaigning since 2001 to establish a national museum of slavery in America. In June 2008 Wilder requested that the museum be granted tax exempt status, which was denied.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gould|first=Pamela|url=http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/022009/02212009/446477|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224141739/http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/022009/02212009/446477|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 24, 2009|title=Slavery museum's future in doubt|newspaper=[[The Free Lance-Star]]|location=Fredericksburg, VA|date=February 21, 2009|access-date=December 29, 2010}}</ref> From that time, taxes on the land had not been paid and the property was at risk of being sold at auction by the city of [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hannon|first=Kelly|url=http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/122010/12292010/597003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407023224/http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/122010/12292010/597003|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 7, 2011|title=Land Sale Looms for Museum Site|newspaper=The Free Lance-Star|location=Fredericksburg, VA|date=December 29, 2010|access-date=December 29, 2010}}</ref>

Beset by financial problems the museum has been assessed delinquent property taxes for the years 2009, 2010, and 2011 amounting to just over $215,000.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]|date=August 14, 2011|title=Slavery Museum Misses Tax Deadline}}</ref> The organization filed for [[Chapter 11 Bankruptcy]] protection on September 22, 2011. Early in 2011 Douglas Wilder was refusing to respond to or answer any questions from either news reporters or patrons who had donated artifacts.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hannon|first=Kelly|url=http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/022011/02132011/605667|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215173923/http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/022011/02132011/605667|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 15, 2011|title=Slavery Museum Donors Ignored|newspaper=The Free Lance-Star|location=Fredericksburg, VA|date=February 13, 2011|access-date=August 14, 2011}}</ref>

Wilder made news in 2012 when he refused to support [[Barack Obama]], the nation's first black president, for another term.<ref name=greta/> He noted that he supported Obama in 2008, but said the president's tenure in the Oval Office thus far had been a disappointment. Wilder did not endorse [[Mitt Romney]], the Republican challenger, and later said that he hoped for an Obama victory despite having gone to a Romney fundraiser.<ref name=greta>{{cite web|url=http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/2012/11/05/stunner-nations-first-african-american-governor-decides-not-to-endorse-president-obama-for-president/|title=Nation's first African American Governor decides not to endorse President Obama for President – But He is Voting for Pres Obama|work=[[On the Record (American TV program)|Gretawire]]|date=November 5, 2012|access-date=November 6, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109034014/http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/2012/11/05/stunner-nations-first-african-american-governor-decides-not-to-endorse-president-obama-for-president/|archive-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>

In 2015, Wilder published an autobiography, ''Son of Virginia: A Life in America's Political Arena''.<ref>{{cite news |author=Laura Vozella|title=At 84, the Virginia maverick is still bucking|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/doug-wilder-at-84-the-virginia-maverick-is-still-bucking/2015/11/28/656d0f62-92c9-11e5-b5e4-279b4501e8a6_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 28, 2015|access-date=December 3, 2015}}</ref>

In March 2018, Wilder filed suit against John Accordino, who was serving as the Dean of his namesake college, for harassing Wilder's assistant.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/former-gov-douglas-wilder-sues-dean-of-school-bearing-his/article_931e035f-ed88-501e-9cf8-c937dd5ec391.html|title=Former Gov. Douglas Wilder sues dean of school bearing his name claiming assistant was harassed|last1=Mattingly |first1=Justin |last2=Oliver |first2=Ned  |work=Roanoke Times|access-date=October 9, 2018|language=en}}</ref> This led to Accordino stepping down from his position and Susan Gooden being named as the interim dean of the college and then Wilder dropping the suit 4 months after filing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.richmond.com/news/local/education/wilder-drops-lawsuit-against-vcu-ousted-dean-of-school-bearing/article_157e7595-5677-566d-8684-ea5735d776a2.html|title=Wilder drops lawsuit against VCU, ousted dean of school bearing his name|last=Mattingly |first=Justin |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch|access-date=October 9, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

In March 2019, Sydney Black filed a complaint under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 against Wilder for sexual harassment after she claims he made sexual advances to her, which she rebuffed, and then told her later that there was no funding for her position at the Virginia Commonwealth University.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/college-student-accuses-former-virginia-governor-l-douglas-wilder-of-sexual-harassment/2019/03/28/7d0170c8-3b95-11e9-aaae-69364b2ed137_story.html?noredirect=on|title=College student accuses former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder of Sexual Harassment|last=Washington Post|first=Jenna Portnoy Washington DC|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=March 28, 2019|language=en}}</ref> In July 2019, the university's independent investigator concluded that Wilder did kiss the student without her consent.<ref name="Suderman">{{cite news |last=Suderman |first=Alan |date=July 23, 2019 |title=Ex-Virginia governor says harassment probe was unfair |url=https://www.apnews.com/bdc1e5ad57d44ead91a47761322ae179 |work=[[Associated Press]] |location=New York, NY}}</ref> In response, Wilder provided a detailed rebuttal, in which he denied "non-consensual sexual contact” between Black and him.<ref name="Suderman"/> In addition, he denied retaliating against her by saying her position had been eliminated.<ref name="Suderman"/> Wilder also claimed the investigator ignored contradictory evidence, including his claim that Black called him eight times after the night during which he supposedly kissed her, something she presumably would not have done if she felt harassed or threatened.<ref name="Suderman"/> The university planned to consider the investigator's findings and Wilder's rebuttal before deciding what action to take, if any.<ref name="Suderman"/> On October 24, 2019, Wilder announced that the university's internal review panel had cleared him of wrongdoing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.apnews.com/c7965181e8d64c6980564cddb97e8a40|title=Ex-Gov. Wilder says panel clears him of kissing allegation|date=October 24, 2019|website=AP News.com |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |location=New York, NY}}</ref>

In 2020, Wilder raised concerns that the state archives at the [[Library of Virginia]] had failed to provide access to the records of his gubernatorial administration.<ref>[https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/library-of-virginia-apologizes-for-delay-with-wilder-papers-promises-fix-as-highest-priority/article_fbf4ba00-c2f7-5713-b2ab-87ceee9c6c1d.html Library of Virginia apologizes for delay with Wilder papers, promises fix as 'highest priority'] (July 9, 2020)</ref>

In 2021, following the gubernatorial election of Republican [[Glenn Youngkin]], Wilder joined Governor Youngkin's transition team, alongside former Republican governors [[Jim Gilmore]], [[Bob McDonnell]], and [[George Allen (American politician)|George Allen]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Times-Dispatch|first=MEL LEONOR Richmond|title=Wilder teams up with Youngkin, former GOP governors as transition begins|url=https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wilder-teams-up-with-youngkin-former-gop-governors-as-transition-begins/article_89530140-8753-547f-9ce9-f4fdcb79c272.html|access-date=November 11, 2021|website=Richmond Times-Dispatch|date=November 10, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>