A college student who worked alongside L. Douglas Wilder, the former Virginia governor, has accused him of kissing her without her consent and suggesting that she move in with him, a lawyer for the student’s family confirmed Thursday.
According to allegations, first reported by The Washington Post, Sydney Black, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, said that Mr. Wilder, 88, took her out in February 2017 to celebrate her 20th birthday, ordering her martinis. Ms. Black told The Post that Mr. Wilder later took her to his condo in Richmond, where, she said, he touched her leg and kissed her on the lips.
Ms. Black said she jerked away from Mr. Wilder’s advance and rebuked him. She told The Post that, months later, Mr. Wilder told her that there was no longer funding for her position as an office assistant at the university’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, where the former governor works as a distinguished professor. Ms. Black filed a complaint with the university in December, and its Title IX office is investigating the allegations, The Post reported, adding that she also reported the episode to the police.
Mr. Wilder did not respond to requests for comment through email and phone calls to his assistant on Thursday. As the country’s first elected African-American governor, Mr. Wilder is a historic figure in American politics.
The accusations against him come after a storm of political scandals in Virginia, where Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark R. Herring admitted to wearing blackface and Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax was accused of sexual assault by two women. (Mr. Fairfax has denied that he assaulted either woman.)
Attempts to reach Ms. Black on Thursday were unsuccessful. Her mother, Margo Stokes, referred questions to the family’s lawyer, Jason V. Wolfrey, who said The Post had accurately reported Ms. Black’s allegations.
