The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, has issued an alert warning of the risk of traveling to Florida due to “openly hostile” policies. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Florida is openly hostile to African-Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Please understand before you travel to Florida that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of and challenges faced by African-Americans and other communities of color,” it says. the NAACP.
Specifically, they denounce DeSantis’ attempts to ban certain books, reject Advanced Placement African American Studies courses, and restrict diversity, equality, and inclusion programs at Florida universities.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson has accused DeSantis of launching “continuous attacks on individual liberties.” “I’m going to be clear: not teaching a rigorous representation of the horrors and inequalities that black Americans have suffered and continue to suffer is a disservice to students and a neglect of all,” Johnson said.
For Leon Russell, also a director of the NAACP, “Governor Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida have declared war on the principles of diversity and inclusion and have rejected our shared identity to appeal to a dangerous and extremist minority.”
Also the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC, for its acronym in English) has recommended not to travel to Florida in a notice issued last Wednesday due to the new immigration law that will take effect in July of this year.
The law requires employers with more than 25 employees to verify their immigration status through a federal database known as E-Verify. Employers who do not comply with the law face fines of 1,000 dollars (about 924 euros) a day until they prove that their workers have the required documents. It also provides fines for those who transport undocumented immigrants to Florida.
“If you bring your aunt to Disney World, Miami or Universal Studios, you can be accused of a crime for bringing an undocumented person to Florida,” said the president of LULAC, Domingo García. “Florida is a dangerous and hostile place for law-abiding Americans and immigrants,” he denounced.
