Florida Passes First Law Restricting How Race Is Discussed In The Workplace

In their continuous attempt to change how race, gender, and sexuality are discussed, Florida has become the first state to enact legislation that restricts how race is discussed in classrooms and the workplace. The legislation was passed on Thursday in a 24-15 vote. This affects K-12 public schools and race sensitivity training of private businesses, where workers could sue their employers for violating the new rules. The legislation states; “A person should not be instructed that he or she must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress for actions, in which he or she played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.”

Black lawmakers have denounced the law during the debate of the bill. Many Democrats called it an attempt to whitewash history, including the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws, Democratic Senator Audrey Gibson stated: “This bill is about fear. Not fear of someone feeling guilt, but fear of our young people coming together to tear down walls of division that some people want to keep up … The bill makes it okay to talk about Pilgrims coming over on ships, but not a race of people coming who came over on slave ships.”

Source: BET