Florida ‘Openly Hostile Toward African Americans,’ Warns NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has issued a travel advisory for Florida, saying the state is "openly hostile toward African Americans" under Governor Ron DeSantis.

Florida's several restrictive laws under DeSantis, which may violate the First Amendment, are getting a lot of pushback from advocacy groups like the NAACP.

Some of DeSantis' laws have also resulted in boycotts and protests from Latino and LGBTQ+ groups. The NAACP has issued a travel advisory against Florida, warning people of color about traveling to the state.

It is "in direct response to DeSantis' aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools," the group said in a statement released on Saturday.

The civil rights group added that the state under DeSantis is "openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals."

The travel advisory comes after the League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC also issued a travel advisory against Florida, a state with one of the largest Latin American communities in the country, because of DeSantis' restrictive new immigration law, which bans businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.

This law has already resulted in a trucker boycott and farms and construction sites, which usually hire undocumented immigrants, going empty, threatening Florida's economy.

The NAACP advisory came after Florida banned the teaching of critical race theory, which "acknowledges systemic racism is a part of American history and challenges the beliefs that allowed it to flourish,," according to CNN.

The NAACP advisory added that the state under DeSantis "devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."

DeSantis has also passed a law barring instruction suggesting anyone is privileged or oppressed based on skin color or race.

Under his leadership, Florida also blocked an initial version of a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies, with the state's Department of Education saying it "significantly lacks educational value."

Florida Businesses Worried About Latino Trucker Boycott Because of Ron DeSantis' Policies

Ron DeSantis' new immigration law has Latino truck drivers rising up in solidarity with other Latinos who will no longer be allowed to work in Florida anymore. It has worried many Florida businesses, especially in Jacksonville, according to News 4.

Tio Moralez, a Jacksonville restaurant owner, told the local news outlet that many workers are leaving Florida because they are scared. He added that the trucker boycott could directly affect his business, saying, "I have product coming from Georgia to here. All the meat and everything... so if they don't come - I can't do much."

This lack of labor could also directly affect Florida's economy, as it will lead to prices in the state going up and will hurt many residents in the Sunshine State.

Ron DeSantis Also Threatening to Strip Press of First Amendment Protections

It is not just Latinos, African-Americans, and the LGBTQ that are affected by Florida's policies under Ron DeSantis, but also the media.

The governor reportedly wanted to abolish the First Amendment safeguards that obstruct lawsuits looking to strong-arm the press into silence.

De Santis has allegedly shown disregard for the freedom of speech and freedom of the press by attacking the Supreme Court's landmark decision in New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) in February.

Vox News reported that the decision established that if somebody is accused of making false claims about a public figure regarding a matter of public concern, that person will not be held liable for defamation unless the said statement was made with the "knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not."

Without this decision, government officials could use defamation suits to impose financially devastating liability on their political enemies, including the press.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: NAACP Issues Travel Advisory Urging People to Avoid Florida - From ABC-7