NAACP joined by advocacy groups on Florida travel advisory
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More minority and advocacy groups are joining with the NAACP, and urging black people and other communities of color to avoid traveling to Florida.
There have been warnings about record levels of travel for Memorial Day, but the one from the NAACP has a much different tone. The NAACP travel advisory starts with a clear stance: Florida is openly hostile toward African-Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Word came out Wednesday that one parent’s complaint pushed a Florida school to restrict access to Amanda Gorman’s book “The Hill We Climb.” She delivered the poem during President Biden’s inauguration.
The NAACP argues in recent weeks a collection of laws and other measures have been passed in Florida to erase black history and restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Other measures include gender-affirming treatment restrictions.
Doneisha Posey is an attorney in Indiana and law professor at the IU McKinney School of Law. She specializes in topics of race in law, housing discrimination, and segregation. She says we’ll often see other states pass similar laws once a precedent is set.
“It is perpetuating an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of our collective path. Black, white, brown, all races. Not only does it undermine the experiences of black individuals, but also hinders our efforts to ward a more inclusive and truthful educational system.”
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued a similar warning after new immigration laws were passed.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not given an official response to the travel warning, although his spokesperson has referred to it as a stunt.