Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (NewsNation) — The Florida State Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is urging its national board to issue a travel advisory for the state.
The NAACP unanimously voted at the end of March to issue a travel advisory urging Black Americans to avoid visiting or moving to Florida, citing concerns over what they call “anti-black legislation.” It’s a direct response to several proposals from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push for legislation banning diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Tourism drives Florida’s economy. 137.6 million people visited the Sunshine State in 2022, according to Visit Florida. Tourism brought $101.9 million into the state economy in 2021.
That’s why the NAACP is pushing for the advisory. Yet, the notion didn’t come overnight.
Florida’s NAACP said they exhausted all other options and this was a last resort.
Frustrations started last year with the “Parents Bill of Rights Law,” then escalated when the “Stop WOKE Act” was signed – which places limits on how race and gender can be discussed in classrooms at public colleges and universities. That ultimately led to Florida banning AP African American courses for teaching critical race theory.
“Boycotts historically have been very effective in the civil rights movement. So when we’re asking for this type of travel advisory, it is equivalent in some ways to a boycott in order to warn African Americans this may not be someplace that you want to contribute your hard-earned money to,” said Melba Pearson, legal redress chair of the NAACP South Dade branch.
DeSantis is aware of the potential travel advisory from the NAACP. During a press briefing in Clay County last month, DeSantis called the NAACP’s decision a “joke” and a “stunt,” adding “I’m not wasting my time on your stunts.”
He called it a “joke” during a recent press conference.
“In the state of Florida, our education standards don’t prevent but they require teaching black history which is part of our core curriculum. this was a separate course on top of that for AP credit. The issue is we have different guidelines in the state of Florida, we want education, not indoctrination,” DeSantis explained on banning AP African American courses.
The NAACP National Board reconvenes in May. That is the earliest they’ll be able to discuss the travel advisory.
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