Watch: NAACP's CNN Interview on Anti-DeSantis Florida 'Travel Advisory' Does Not Go as Planned

On Saturday, perhaps when they knew few serious-minded people would be paying attention, the NAACP board of directors 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 or something.

From their statement:

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 appeared on CNN’s “This Morning” program Monday, where the topic under discussion was the travel advisory. But the interview did not go according to plan for Johnson when 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.”

After Sidner read the statement from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, she helpfully translated it for Johnson.

“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.

A sour-faced Johnson huffily responded essentially by saying the facts don’t matter, that those statistics had nothing to do with DeSantis specifically but the fact that for years Florida had been an attractive state to do business. He also brought up DeSantis’ war with Disney and how Disney had just pulled a billion dollar project and 2,000 jobs – without noting the move had been in the works for months and reportedly had nothing to do with DeSantis.

Watch:

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

I was pleasantly surprised to see Sidner take this approach since she is inarguably one of the wokest members of the CNN staff, once arguing on air in favor of understanding why radical Black Lives Mater activists chose to loot and riot and burn things during the “peaceful protests” over the death of George Floyd.

Also left out of the exchange was the fact that a number of the NAACP’s board of directors sure do love them some Florida:

Here is your Vice Chair chillin’ in Clearwater, FL. pic.twitter.com/12JMAqvxAv

— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) May 20, 2023

The CHAIRMAN of the @NAACP lives in Tampa, FLORIDA!

True leadership is being willing to do what you ask others to do… time to step up and MOVE.

If you think our state is so bad, the @FloridaGOP will help with moving costs. https://t.co/fhvaiii9iB pic.twitter.com/5NnhQZyc3P

— Christian Ziegler 🇺🇸 (@ChrisMZiegler) May 21, 2023

Another thing not mentioned is that the media/Democrat-driven narrative that DeSantis doesn’t want black children to learn about black history just isn’t true, as RedState has previously reported.

The Florida Dept. of Education page on African-American history tells the true story the NAACP doesn’t want you to hear about just how in-depth the requirements are when it comes to teaching black history. Here are some excerpts from the page:

The following is in the required instruction statute, s. 1003.42(2)(f), F.S.
The history of the United States, including the period of discovery, early colonies, the War for Independence, the Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present boundaries, the world wars, and the civil rights movement to the present. American history shall be viewed as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation of a new nation based largely on the universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.

The following is in the required instruction statute, s. 1003.42(2)(h), F.S.
The history of African Americans, including:
the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery;
the passage to America;
the enslavement experience;
abolition; and
the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.

Hmm. That doesn’t sound like “erasing black history” to me, perhaps because it’s not.

What this is, in reality, is the NAACP wanting to do two things: fundraise, and insert itself into the 2024 GOP presidential primaries at a time when it is anticipated that DeSantis will make his candidacy official.

Meanwhile, guess where the NAACP is headquartered? Baltimore, which unlike Florida actually is guilty of failing black children and families in both the educational and social systems going back decades.

But we won’t hear anything from the NAACP about that, because Baltimore is Democrat-run, and pointing out that Democrats have consistently failed the black community doesn’t bring in the donations that keep the organization afloat and their “leaders” living cushy lives all while complaining about how minority communities can’t get a leg up thanks to Republicans.

DeSantis opposes woke indoctrination, not the teaching of black history. Huge difference.

Flashback: NAACP Leader Makes a Disgusting Comparison in Response to Rittenhouse Verdict