In the latest rebuke to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “war on woke,” a second major Black organization has moved its conferences out of the Sunshine State, Yahoo News reports.
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) announced plans to move Florida conferences previously scheduled for 2024 and 2025 to other states, citing a potential “hostile” environment for their members.
The NSBE, one of the nation’s largest student-governed organizations, joins Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, America’s oldest and largest intercollegiate Black fraternity, which last week announced it was moving its 2025 conference out of Orlando.
Combined, the conferences would have brought millions of dollars into the state's economy, Yahoo reported.
“It is our hope that the outcry and loss of revenue will force legislators to repeal the terrible bills that were passed in the last few years,” Miami-based civil rights attorney Melba Pearson told Yahoo News.
“We hope that voters will make solid decisions in the upcoming elections, based on now knowing the impact these negative laws have on their neighbors, friends and communities.”
The conference moves follow an NAACP travel advisory issued in May, which warned anyone considering visiting the Sunshine State that “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. 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 group said in a statement.
The NAACP said the advisory was issued “in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis' aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”
