'Hostile dangerous environment': Black nurses group moves conference out of Florida

A prominent nationwide organization of Black professional healthcare providers has announced it's pulling its annual conference out of Florida, saying the Sunshine State's political and social climate poses a danger to its members.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that the National Black Nurses Association, which boasts more than 308,000 members across 34 states, is moving its annual conference from Hollywood, Florida to San Francisco, California.

"The passage of anti-Black policies and laws, which have taken a destructive position to erase and silence Black history, and restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools, together with the NAACP travel ban, and the recent senseless, racially motivated, hate-fueled murders of three innocent Black Americans in Jacksonville, Florida has created a hostile dangerous environment in the state," the group stated.

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"Thus, as a Black identified multigenerational professional nursing association, we cannot risk the safety or well-being of our members or subject them to unpredictable, unknown, and unconscionable threats to their life, liberty, and first amendment rights."

The group's decision to remove its conference from Florida was apparently a last resort, as its representatives reportedly discussed moving the conference to a later year "when conditions would hopefully be safer for Black-identifying groups like ours" but that negotiations with the venue fell through.

According to the Chronicle, the National Black Nurses Association is just the latest of several Black-identifying groups to cease their relationships with Florida. The National Society of Black Engineers canceled its 2024 conference in Florida, and Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha also called off its 2025 national conference in the Sunshine State.

Since his tenure began after winning the 2018 gubernatorial election, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Florida legislature have passed numerous laws that have created outrage in the Black community. Earlier this year, lawmakers passed a bill requiring that Florida middle schools teaching students about slavery have to now mention how slaves developed "skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit." DeSantis also effectively defunded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming at Florida universities.

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