Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest Black intercollegiate fraternity in the United States, has announced it will relocate its 2025 conference from Orlando, Florida, in protest against Governor Ron DeSantis's policies, which it describes as a “continued assault” on minority communities. The fraternity, whose alumni include Martin Luther King Jr and Thurgood Marshall, cited new state teaching standards suggesting that forced labour benefited enslaved people, as well as laws gerrymandering Black voting districts and restricting voting access.
The decision, announced at the fraternity's 2023 conference in Dallas, represents a projected loss of $4.6 million in convention economic impact for Florida. Willis Lonzer III, general president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said the group would not direct funds to a place “hostile to the communities we serve”. The move follows similar actions by the National Society of Black Engineers and a travel warning issued by the NAACP in May, which declared Florida “actively hostile” to Black and other minority communities.
Governor DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has defended the state's educational standards, which include teaching that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit”. He denied involvement in writing the standards, claiming they were “rooted in whatever was factual”. The governor's position has drawn widespread condemnation, including from Vice-President Kamala Harris, who called it an attempt to “replace history with lies”.
Alpha Phi Alpha's Lonzer stated that the fraternity would continue to support advocates fighting against “the continued assault on our communities in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis”. The fraternity has joined a broad coalition opposing what it calls a “barrage of harmful and discriminatory policies on protests, voting rights, education, and diversity, equity and inclusion”.
Earlier this month, a tourism body in Broward County reported that over half a dozen companies had cancelled events in the area due to the state's political climate. Among other cancellations is the Game of Thrones fan convention, Con of Thrones, which has withdrawn from Orlando. DeSantis's press team has dismissed the boycotts as “a media-driven stunt”.
