A leading civil rights organization has issued a formal travel advisory for the state of Florida after what it called an "all-out attack" on Black Americans and other groups with the passage of recent bills.
The NAACP issued the advisory Saturday in response to what they called "aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida schools" by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals," the advisory said in part. "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."
The advisory mentions bills passed, including the so-called "Stop W.O.K.E" Act, bills regarding voting rights and recent bills restricting access to medical care for members of the trans community along with signed bills that ban gender surgical procedures for minors, restricts pronoun use in schools and forces people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex.
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"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 & 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."
The advisory comes as DeSantis is set to launch an expected presidential bid in the coming days.
DeSantis' spokespeople reacted to the travel advisory on Twitter, referring to it as a stunt and "just noise."
U.S. & World
Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, the last year figures are available.
Several of Florida's Democratic mayors were quick to say Sunday that their cities welcomed diversity and inclusion.
“EVERYONE is always welcome and will be treated with dignity and respect,” tweeted Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg in a message echoed by the mayor across the bay in Tampa.
“That will never change, regardless of what happens in Tallahassee,” tweeted Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa.
The NAACP's decision comes after the DeSantis' administration in January rejected the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course, saying it pushed a political agenda.
DeSantis has previously pointed to Florida's education standards that mandate teaching about slavery and African American history.
“In the state of Florida, our education standards not only don’t prevent, but they require teaching Black history, all the important things. That’s part of our core curriculum,” DeSantis previously said. “We want education and not indoctrination.”
