For Immediate Release: July 22, 2023

                         President Debbie Deland, Florida NOW

                                                president@flnow.org  

THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS BECOME DANGEROUS FOR PEOPLE TO VISIT; RELOCATE; ATTEND SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES & COLLEGES; AND MORE 

Debbie Deland, President of Florida NOW said, “We join the NAACP and other civic organizations, to issue a Florida NOW Travel Advisory to the public. Visiting, relocating, or attending schools in Florida come with heightened risks and definite violations of the US and FL Constitutions by the State Government. Due to the hostile faction of the Florida Government, its Conservative legislators and Governor DeSantis, new laws went into effect on July 1 that discriminate against women, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, teachers, students, unions, documented and undocumented immigrants, etc.”

There is no separation of Church and State. These laws subscribe to a dangerous neo-confederate regressive ideology and are fostering a new Jim Crow. They promote school segregation, cancel Black history, cancel both Black studies and Gender studies in colleges, ban classic books and books with any mention of LGBTQIA+, cancel tenant rights, bust unions, and worse.

Florida is now a permit-less gun carry state. It is legal to carry a concealed weapon without required mandatory background checks and weapon training. As of July 11, 2023 there have been 18 mass shooting in Florida and the year has five moths to go!

The State Government of Florida is driving hate, fear, and confusion at the LGBTQIA+ communities, especially for transgender persons. The Governor signed six expressly anti-LGBTQIA+ laws this year, more than the last seven years combined.

The State Government of Florida is driving hate, fear and confusion at all levels of education by canceling Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Programs and prohibiting the teaching of the actual history of People of Color, especially for Black communities. They do not support diversity in any way.

The State Government of Florida is anti-teacher by restricting educators from discussing diversity, gender identities, LGBTQIA+ and social justice issues with the threat of losing their licenses to teach. Its book banning mandate and racial justice prohibitions have already cost educators their jobs. The new union busting laws was aimed at women, teachers.

People who are more than 15 weeks pregnant, do not have access to full healthcare options. In September, the 15-week abortion ban is expected to become a virtual abortion ban when it goes down to a six-week abortion ban.

FLORIDA NOW REACTS:

Debbie Deland, President of the Florida National Organization for Women, further reports, “Florida is no longer a state that can support constitutional protections of democratic values. Its governance has perverted freedom to mean for only those who subscribe to the fascist beliefs of Governor DeSantis. The government drives hate and violence against the populations that do not fit the white supremacist criteria. It isn’t safe for LGBTQIA+, especially Trans individuals, to move here or visit Florida. It isn’t safe for people of color to live, visit, or be educated in Florida. Teachers should not move here due to union busting, very low pay, the ‘don’t say gay’ law from K-12 in our schools, book banning, and the risk of losing their licenses based on new laws that are so vague. Florida resident teachers are already leaving the state! Students who want a balanced education can no longer get that in Florida. High school students in Florida will have a hard time getting into schools outside of Florida due to DeSantis battles over the books students will be allowed to read, not supporting the accepted standardized tests for college entrance, rejecting well-researched with expert input Advance Placement courses, and the rewriting of textbooks to be sure no one feels ‘uncomfortable.’ We learn when we are made uncomfortable. A lot of our history should make us uncomfortable. No matter who you are, it is not safe or beneficial to visit, go to school, or move to Florida. It is not a free state, but rather one of autocracy, revenge, and one that tramples on first amendment rights, voting rights, and more. The legislature majority and Ron DeSantis are white, mostly male, supremacists, racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-teacher, anti-union, anti-Disney, and more. For Florida NOW, I sadly issue this travel advisory against Florida and reiterate that the Florida National Organization for Women is in open rebellion against this desecration of our democracy. We will do everything in our power to inform and educate the public. We will partner with those who fight for the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of those whose lives are being cruelly shattered. Florida is not a free or safe state.”

CALL TO ACTION:

Clearly, we need different leadership in Florida. Our state has gone beyond a tipping point. Please speak withothers, vote informed, call/email/visit your legislative leaders and let them know the weight of your concern, participate in demonstrations, write letters to the editor, more. We must preserve and nurture our base with truth and compassion to push the arc of history towards decency and a sense of humanity.

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Florida NOW: is an intersectional grassroots organization that promotes feminist ideals, leads societal change, eliminates discrimination, and protects the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life. It is the largest civil rights organization in the country demanding women’s rights.

For Immediate Release: July 14, 2023 

                                                President Debbie Deland, Florida NOW

                                                president@flnow.org

ON JUNE 29, 2023, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT STRUCK DOWN AFFIRMATIVE

ACTION IN ADMISSION POLICIES AT HARVARD & THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 

REJECTING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS REGRESSIVE, DIVISIVE &

SUBSCRIBES TO MODERN-DAY JIM CROW/NEO-CONFEDERATE IDEOLOGY 

RACIAL EQUITY & DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS A NATIONAL

IMPERATIVE

In the context of higher education, Affirmative Action refers to race-conscious admissions practices to increase student diversity in schools to enhance the educational experience for ALL students in America.

Education is a major dividing line in our society with long-term implications for income and job prospects. Without affirmative action, only the top 5% of family income will be admitted to our top schools, thereby blatantly denying opportunities to students from low-income and marginalized communities and promoting inequality.

American history and today in America are rife with racial discrimination. Attacks on affirmative action are another attempt to strip away the progress that communities of color have made and render educational opportunities the exclusive domain of the white and privileged.

Our K-12 school system remains largely segregated and inequitable for students of color. Affirmative action has helped ensure talented students of color receive a fair shot. CONTRARY TO 45 YEARS OF PRECEDENT, the Court’s regressive ruling removes one of the most vital tools that colleges and universities have to achieve diversity.

FLORIDA NOW REACTS:

Debbie Deland, Florida NOW President said, “The Florida National Organization for Women joins other civic-minded groups to fight this regression. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical in our schools for America’s future success. Racial injustice is systemic in the United States. The Supreme Court decision shows the Supreme Court as racist and anti-diversity. By thwarting access to educational opportunities to pursue their dreams, SCOTUS has scaled back progress towards socioeconomic mobility and the promise of a better life. Despite the abhorrent attempts of anti-civil rights extremists to divide us in their racist, homophobic, misogynist abuse of legal power, we are stronger than ever and share a commitment to racial justice and equal opportunity. We know that when everyone has access to higher education, we ALL benefit from the talents and potential of students from all backgrounds and build respect for everyone, a human value. We need to tear down the barriers to ensure that whatever a student’s heritage or ethnicity, we will not allow the Supreme Court’s decision to curtail their freedom to be the best they can be.” 

CALL TO ACTION:

Keep abreast of the values to which politicians subscribe and vote informed. Raise your voice at town meetings! Issue statements and post on social media. Write letters to the editor. Support efforts of colleges to offer free tuition for those from families making less than $80,000.

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Florida NOW: is an intersectional grassroots organization that promotes feminist ideals, leads societal change, eliminates discrimination, and protects the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.