If you’re thinking about heading to Florida to relax this Summer, you may want to think again.
The NAACP issued a travel advisory on Saturday, warning Black tourists about visiting Florida due to recent legislation and policies that are “openly hostile” to people of color.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group also issued travel warnings in a state where DeSantis’s policies have targeted Latin American migrants and people who identify as LGBTQ.
The travel advisory was approved Saturday by the civil rights group’s board of directors, warning tourists that Florida “devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
“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,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “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.”
Desantis is expected to announce a his plans to run for the GOP presidential, which has been anticipated for the better part of a year.
DeSantis and his supporters have been targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives for at least two years, as Desantis uses policies that could adversely impact minorities to bolster his run for president. Quick reminder, in January, DeSantis lead an effort to to reject the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course. This is also the state that also passed the “Stop WOKE Act” and “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
More about the NAACP’s historic advisory and Florida’s history of attacking Black history can be found here.
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