The NAACP’s travel advisory for Black people considering a visit or move to Florida has less to do with potential travelers and more to do with rallying the Black residents of the state to counter Republican-led policies, members of the civil rights organization told NBC News.
Leon W. Russell, the chairman of the NAACP national board of directors, who lives in Tampa, said the travel advisory was an informational and strategic tactic to galvanize Black voters, especially Black men, against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Let me be clear: We’re not calling for a boycott or a travel ban,” Russell said. “We’re saying to Black people who come to the state or who are thinking about coming to the state that you need to be aware of what’s going on here and you need to think about how you are going to be impacted by this hate and cruelty that is being generated. You need to consider whether or not you’re going to be safe.”
The advisory reads, “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.”
Marsha Ellison, president of the NAACP’s Fort Lauderdale/Broward Branch, said the advisory has already generated interest.
“Since the travel advisory, our phones have been blowing up with people on the ground wanting to know more details about why the travel advisory and the policies that impact them,” she said. “So, this is going to be quite effective.”
Ellison said many Black Floridians have a strong sense of DeSantis’ policies related to race, identity and inclusion, and “many aren’t in tune with his racist and draconian policies.”
DeSantis has said Florida is where “woke goes to die.” He doubled down on his comment in January when his administration said it would block a new Advanced Placement African…
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