A Democratic activist visited Florida for spring break despite praising the NAACP’s travel advisory against the state.
“I really appreciate the NAACP’s guidance on this issue,” activist Aisha C. Mills said during an interview with MSNBC Monday. ” I just took my family to spring break in Florida, and I think about all the folks who travel there for sun and joy and peace and restoration and to be reminded that actually this is getting to the point where Florida is about to be a terrorist state to many of us here in America, certainly as a lesbian, as a Black woman, I don’t want to have anything to do with the place”
The comments come after the NAACP formal advisory on its website about Florida, arguing the state is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”
NAACP ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR FLORIDA EVEN THOUGH BOARD CHAIRMAN LIVES IN STATE
“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 advisory reads.
While Mills disregarded the advisory to vacation in the state, the ominous warning from the NAACP also comes as its chairman, Leon W. Russell, resides in the Tampa Bay area.
Nevertheless, the NAACP argues that the advisory was “in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”
DESANTIS DISMISSES NAACP’S FLORIDA TRAVEL ADVISORY ‘STUNT,’ CITES RECORD-HIGH TOURIST TRAVEL
The governor’s office has pushed back against the advisory, calling it a “stunt” while pointing to Florida’s strong tourism numbers.
“As Gov. DeSantis announced last week, Florida is seeing record-breaking tourism,” DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern told Fox News Digital. “This is nothing more than a stunt.”
However, in her interview with MSNBC, Mills praised the NAACP’s decision, arguing it highlights America’s problem with “bigotry and bias.”
“I think about all the other people who don’t want to travel there… I think it was very clever on behalf of the NAACP, I thank them, for issuing this broad guidance,” Mills said. “Really what it does is it turns a remarkable lens on the United States and highlights how bigotry and bias and ignorance do as much harm as we accuse other countries of doing to people that they suppress.”
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