The NAACP is asking student athletes to boycott Florida. This request comes after the state required all public universities to ban or eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) curriculums.
There are twelve public universities in the state and so far, four have banned or eliminated their DEI programs. They are Florida State, University of Florida, University of North Florida and Florida International University.
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The law also prevents public colleges and universities from spending money on DEI programs.
“This is just another example of what the NAACP has been about for years. That is demonstrating the need to make these types of issues come forward before the public to see what’s happening in Florida. This is a direct action approach to let legislators know how we feel about diversity,” Jacksonville NAACP President, Isaiah Rumlin, said.
Welton Coffey II is athletic director for schools just north of the Florida border in Camden County, Georgia. He deals with a lot of athletes looking at Florida schools. Coffey says this will need to be a discussion between students and their parents, and that can be difficult if only schools from Florida are looking at you.
“There’s no question if students have an opportunity to go to school period, and we are cutting off a segment, a piece of that pie. There’s no question that makes it difficult for a parent. In south Georgia, we do have students that go right across the state line to Florida. These are personal decisions that parents and students need to sit down and communicate about,” Coffee II said.
UNF has already shut down its DEI offices. UF did a couple weeks ago and that eliminated thirteen full-time DEI positions and eliminated all outside contracts with DEI vendors.