Tipsheet

The NAACP Has a Message for Black Student-Athletes Looking to Attend Florida's Public Colleges

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  March 12, 2024 11:00 AM

The NAACP is urging black student athletes in Florida to “reconsider” attending and competing at state colleges over the eradication of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. 

In a letter to National Collegiate Athletic Association president Charlie Baker, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP’s national board of directors, said the act of protest is necessary “to hold these institutions accountable.” 

“This is not about politics,” the letter, sent Monday, reads. “It’s about the protection of our community, the progression of our culture, and most of all, it’s about your education, and your future.” 

The University of Florida’s decision to terminate DEI staff on campus comes after the state passed a new rule prohibiting use of state funds for such programs. 

According to the regulation, DEI is identified as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”

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Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated the move, calling DEI “toxic.” 

 But to Johnson, the governor’s focus on eliminating DEI is part of his administration’s “devaluation of Black America."

“From racist voting policies, to unraveling reproductive freedoms and attempting to rewrite Black history, DeSantis has waged war on Black America," he said in the letter. "Now, as a result of his administration’s anti-Black ideals, all state-funded universities in Florida will be forced to dismantle their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. While the University of Florida may be the first, they will not be the last.”