NAACP issues Florida travel advisory after the state blocks funds for college diversity, equity and inclusion programs
NAACP says the advisory stems from "unrelenting attacks on fundamental freedoms from the Governor and his legislative body."
Published: 7:40 PM EDT May 20, 2023
Updated: 7:44 PM EDT May 20, 2023
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Saturday issued a travel advisory for the state of Florida.
According to the NAACP national headquarters, the advisory is a “direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis' aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”
The travel advisory was proposed to the organization's board of directors by NAACP's Florida State Conference.
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NAACP says the advisory stems from "unrelenting attacks on fundamental freedoms from the Governor and his legislative body."
The advisory reads in part:
"Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that blocks public colleges from using federal or state funding on diversity programs, addressing a concern of conservatives ahead of the Republican governor's expected presidential candidacy.
The law, which DeSantis proposed earlier this year, comes as Republicans across the country target programs on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.
The signing builds on the governor's larger push to shape Florida's education system by regulating how schools deal with subjects such as race and gender, with DeSantis arguing that he is challenging inappropriate liberal ideology in the classroom.
"Let me be clear - failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all," NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. "Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon.
"He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We're not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation."
The NAACP says they have distributed 10,000 books to 25 predominantly Black communities across Florida that had titles banned under the state's laws.
Diversity, equity and inclusion offices in higher education often spearhead services tailored to students of various races, genders, sexual orientations, cultures and abilities. Some college administrators also consider so-called DEI factors when admitting students, providing scholarships or deciding which faculty to hire and promote.
The law blocks public universities from diverting state or federal funds from going to programs or campus activities that advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion or promote political or social activism.
“In reality what this concept of DEI has been is to attempt to impose orthodoxy on the university,” DeSantis said at a bill signing ceremony in Sarasota. “This has basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda, and that is wrong."
The measure also bars curriculums that teach “identity politics” or “theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities." The provision is aimed at curtailing education about critical race theory, a way of thinking about U.S. history through the lens of racism.
“I think [the travel advisory] will have a strong impact,” Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough NAACP, said. “We cannot ensure the safety of African American people in the state of Florida and that their civil rights are not going to be violated because of the policies and all the laws that were directed toward African American people.”
To read the full travel advisory from the NAACP, click here.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out the governor's office for a response but have not yet heard back.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
10 Investigates Emerald Morrow first broke news earlier this year that the Florida chapter of the NAACP voted unanimously to ask its national office for the advisory.
DeSantis has changed his Twitter handle from RonDeSantisFL to @RonDeSantis
