Florida has lost another major convention thanks to the ongoing racist actions and policies of Ron DeSantis and the state’s Republican-controlled legislature. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the oldest intercollegiate Black fraternity in the country, announced that it was relocating its 99th General Convention and 119th Anniversary Convention from Orlando "due to Governor Ron DeSantis’ harmful, racist, and insensitive policies against the Black community," according to a press release. The event generates $4.6 million economic impact.
The fraternity did not mince words in stating its reasons for pulling its convention from Florida:
“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has an unmatched legacy of social justice, advocacy, and leadership for the Black community,” said General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III. “In this environment of manufactured division and attacks on the Black community, Alpha Phi Alpha refuses to direct a projected $4.6 million convention economic impact to a place hostile to the communities we serve. Although we are moving our convention from Florida, Alpha Phi Alpha will continue to support the strong advocacy of Alpha Brothers and other advocates fighting against the continued assault on our communities in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis.”
In announcing its convention move, Alpha Phi Alpha cited Florida’s horrendous new K-12 curriculum for African American history, which, as the fraternity rightly notes, “erases Florida’s role in slavery and oppression, blames the victims, and declares that African Americans who endured slavery benefitted from the horrific and torturous institution.”
Florida’s loss of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s convention comes on the heels of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) announcing earlier this month that it was pulling its 2024 convention out of Florida and relocating the event to Atlanta (you’re welcome, Georgia). The convention has a $1.2 million economic impact.
“The very basis of our work is equity,” said NSBE CEO Janeen Uzzell. “NSBE was formed almost 50 years ago in response to the sparsity of Black people enrolling and succeeding in engineering education programs. So, we stand firm in our decision to relocate, because, inherently, any efforts that seek to regress diversity, equity and inclusion directly impact us and are unaligned with the mission of NSBE.”
NSBE noted that given its history, it “had to take into account that the political climate in Florida seeks to undermine what we stand for and would prohibit us from existing and congregating the NSBE way.”
At least a dozen conventions have pulled out of Florida recently due to its hostile political environment and racist and homophobic actions and policies. This includes a loss of at least five conventions in Orlando and six conventions in Broward County/Fort Lauderdale. Visit Lauderdale estimated that those six events represent a lost of $9 million in revenue for the region. One group that pulled out of Fort Lauderdale “selected Atlanta due to current Florida’s political climate” (you’re welcome again, Georgia) while another group, from Mississippi, cited its reason for pulling out of Florida as “Governor DeSantis.”
Other examples:
- Game of Thrones convention Con of Thrones canceled its event in Orlando due to “the increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation and atmosphere in Florida.”
- The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning moved its conference from Miami to Chicago, saying it would pay a “steep penalty” for moving the event but members had expressed “significant concerns” about holding the event in Florida, particularly in light of the state’s controversial educational policies targeting diversity initiatives.
Please proceed Governor DeSantis.