Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications
/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Cell: 443-635-5911
November 30, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS OF HISTORICALLY BLACK FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT FLORIDA’S HOSTILE POLICIES AND TREATMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES DURING STATE CONFERENCE
International Fraternity and Sorority leadership participate in leadership training and support regional leadership at Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Conference in Florida
(TAMPA, FL) – The Council of Presidents (COP) of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc., the leadership body representing the nine historically African American fraternities and sororities, expresses concern about Florida’s hostile policies and treatment of African Americans and marginalized communities during the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) conference in Tampa, Florida from Nov. 28 through Dec. 2.
In May, the AFA board of directors sent an email to its members that it had been monitoring Florida’s legislative landscape over the past several months and it had become increasingly apparent that equity, inclusion, and diversity would be impacted for Florida’s higher education professionals and that safety and inclusion for marginalized communities were diminishing as well as their abilities to successfully live, work, and exist in the state.
The COP remains committed to AFA and we continue to share these same concerns. We agree with the board that the direct actions, decisions, and overreach by both the Governor and the Florida Legislature have dramatically changed the landscape in Florida. Governor DeSantis’ fight against “woke” culture in Florida has emboldened some and enraged others, creating a climate of cultural and racial hostility. The decisions to block an African American Studies Advanced Placement course in high schools and to restrict books and conversations about race in schools and businesses are inherently discriminatory. Significantly, these policy decisions have a negative, pervasive impact beyond Florida and throughout the nation. The COP stands opposed to this ideology, and we condemn acts of hatred and discrimination as demonstrated by this Governor and this legislature.
The COP delegation is attending the AFA conference, independent of political affairs of the state. The delegation is here not only to express its concerns about the state’s cultural and racially hostile policies, but to participate in leadership training and to offer support to its respective regional leadership and conferees. Our organizations stand with our local members and the community in a spirit of solidarity and alignment.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and is headquartered in Baltimore, MD. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit us at www.apa1906.net and follow us on all platforms @apa1906network.