NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson Has a Bad Day at CNN When He Goes After DeSantis – Watch
The board of directors from the NAACP issued a “travel advisory” for the state of Florida, alleging that it was “openly hostile” to the black community because Gov. Ron DeSantis allegedly doesn’t want black children to learn black history.
The statement said:
“The travel advisory comes in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.
The formal travel notice states, ‘Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. 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.’
‘Let me be clear – failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,’ said NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson. ‘Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon.’”
Johnson did an interview on CNN’s “This Morning” program and the topic under discussion was the travel advisory. But the interview did not go according to what he had planned. CNN’s Sara Sidner pointed out that according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, “on the economic diversification front, in just the last few years, Florida has moved into the number one spot in the United States for black-owned businesses and number two for Hispanic and number two for women-owned businesses.”
“When you hear those numbers, what they are saying is look, African-Americans and Hispanics are doing quite well here when it comes to running their own businesses and being able to make money here, and being able to live decent lives,” she noted.
“How do you address that with this new ban?” she asked Johnson.
Johnson could only respond by saying that facts like this don’t matter.
Another fact that was glossed over was how many board members for the NAACP actually have homes in Flordia.
NAACP's Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) dismisses data showing Florida leads the nation in black-owned businesses: "Propaganda language … The policies [@GovRonDeSantis] put in place are harmful policies to far too many individuals." pic.twitter.com/DxIrkg6ZXQ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 22, 2023
Here is your Vice Chair chillin’ in Clearwater, FL. pic.twitter.com/12JMAqvxAv
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) May 20, 2023