Opinion: Transforming Florida from ‘Where Woke Goes To Die’ to ‘Where Woke Goes To Multiply’
I ate dinner at Paradis Books & Bread for the first time two weeks ago.
A group of friends, visionaries really, opened the doors to this bakery/restaurant/bar in North Miami in July 2021, after meeting in NYC and dreaming up a way to build (a safe respectful) community through the culinary, not an easy feat in our amazingly fast paced vibrant city, that doesn't easily offer quiet moments to connect. Glowing reviews followed, including being named by Esquire as one of the best bars in the country. My visit? Long overdue.
My wife, I and two friends, also first time visitors, dined on the patio, next to the urban garden, under stringed lights, at one of the mosaic picnic tables. It was a festive, relaxed vibe, with a pool game already in progress and a whole lot of animated conversation. During the two plus hours we sipped, munched and chilled, we were all treated with nothing but respect. And, trust, if some sort of discrimination were going to go down, ours, a table featuring an interracial couple and two gay men, was uniquely positioned to absorb it. Unfortunately, before we even finished our leftover pizza the next day, a whole different narrative of Paradis began to emerge. This one? Ugly and dangerous.
To be clear, I didn't witness the next day's incident, when a man of color was allegedly asked not to return to the space, based on his conversations with friends. Was it just a gross misunderstanding? Perhaps. But if so, why hightail to Fox and Friends, for a three-minute national spot that seemed less about righting wrongs and more about hard selling your book. It all just felt self-serving to me. But in a weird way, it all made complete sense. Because in my new home state of Florida, using shock value to create a name for yourself IS the playbook, especially in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging space.
Ironically, the first topic at our Paradis dinner was the Florida Department of Education's rejection of the College Board's AP African American History class. "I'm embarrassed to be a Floridian," said our friend. And if I'm incredibly honest, same. I chose to move to Miami three years ago, for many reasons, but a huge motivating factor was how my wife and I always felt welcomed here. Celebrated even. That part is still true, at least in South Florida. The harder issue for me is as an African American man with a passion to create social change, is finding myself in a state proudly described by the governor as, "Where woke goes to die." Our 'leaders?' Astoundingly committed to this motto.
In addition to last week's African American History class debacle, Florida has already done much to isolate and exclude marginalized voices under this mode of 'governance.' There's the Stop WOKE Act, limiting the ways systemic racism and sex discrimination can be addressed in schools or workplace trainings. The 'Don't Say Gay' Bill, effectively ending discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity prior to grade three in Florida schools. There's the recent memo of the governor's Policy and Budget Office requiring state colleges and universities to provide names of all staff, programs and campus activities related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Critical Race Theory, along with the amount of funding provided by the state. And that's before we even get into the blatant redistricting of Florida's congressional districts to make them more favorable to promoting this madness.
Major accomplishments? Guess so. If your objective is to win by cheating and muzzle your population. Huge victory if your aim is to invest in the future by creating an educational system of linear thinkers. Or maybe you don't really care about your constituents at all. Maybe you're just incredibly self-serving, trying to create the biggest buzz possible, to propel yourself to higher office. But here's the thing. The political system may have decided, without our input, that all Floridians are not only conservatives, but bigots. But we know that's not true. These radical conservative voices, who have chosen to define us, are just louder. So, for you, my fellow rational (and frustrated) Floridians, I've got some suggestions:
1) Embrace, support and patronize businesses like Paradis Books & Bread, who are not only willing to stand up against intolerance, but already had a written policy in place to address harm -- long before controversy visited.
2) Step up local businesses, big and small, and take Paradis B&B's lead. Address DEI issues within your organizations. Create a culture of inclusivity for both your workers and patrons. Be on the right side of history.
3) Refuse to remain silent to what you're seeing as an individual. Don’t be afraid to speak your truth whether it’s through person to person contact, social media posts or where you spend your money. You have power.
4) Educate yourself about the issues. Investigate the ideas the state is trying to ban. Absorb information from credible sources then connect with like minded people to make a difference in numbers. Push back against anything that doesn't feel authentic. Repeat.
5) Register to vote. Then vote. Every. Single. Time. All elections are important. If they weren't Florida wouldn't keep trying to make it harder (or confusing) for its citizens to exercise this fundamental civic right. If you vote by mail, renew your request today. It expired at the start of 2023. (Yeah. Another law.) Also, spread the word.
Many Florida legislators want you to think the majority of Florida residents, your neighbors, support these assaults on basic freedoms. They want you to believe your voice is not loud enough to make a difference. They want you to question the incredible collective power we have together, as a community, who wants better for our state. I believe we, the people, are so much better than this current climate. We have the power to change this pathetic narrative from 'Where Woke Goes To Die' to 'Where Woke Goes to Multiply.' Won't you join me?
Andre M. Brown is a Miami based DEI coach, consultant and founder of Racial Just Us.
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How The Actions Of Just One Person Can End Racism
No doubt, racism is an overwhelming problem.
Systemic racism often feels big. Too big, like something we'll never be able to contain, never mind cure. Where do we even start to tackle an issue of this magnitude, especially one without any clear cut solutions? We ask ourselves, 'What could one single person do to make any kind of meaningful and lasting change anyway? And if we can't affect change, what's the point?'
At one time or another, many of us currently standing on the sidelines may have been inspired to become Black allies. Maybe we even explored the options a little bit. Checked into volunteering opportunities. Started to come up with a plan. But, something stopped us from taking the next step. Maybe we lost momentum. Maybe we got intimidated, worried that we didn't belong or wouldn't be welcome in that space with people who looked different from us. Maybe we never got started because that little voice in our head highjacked our optimism with doubts, saying that even our greatest efforts won't even matter in the end. So instead, we opt to do nothing, hoping that our thoughts and prayers will substitute for real action.
But what if we told you that the actions of just one person, say an inspiring person like you, can be the spark for an incredible amount of change. Really. There's no pressure here. You just have to commit to learning more about the anti-racism mindset. In this class of one, the first objective isn't to change the world -- it's to change your perspective. Your only goal is to begin seeing other people's experiences, not like they exist in some other universe where they don't affect you. Your aim is to understand other people's experiences like they were your own.
How? By starting super small. Maybe with some culture. A restaurant in your city or town that features the delicious home cooking of someone else's heritage. Ask about the ingredients in the recipe. Everyone loves to feed a curious person. Or start with a book. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson is a good one. Or watch a movie. When They See Us on Netflix is incredibly powerful. Observe the current events that are going on in the world right now. Ask yourself how you feel about them. Then ask yourself if you'd feel the same way if they were happening to you. Journal about what your values say about you. Decide how you want to change.
Truth is, you can stop right there. Or maybe even stop right here for now. Because you're already making changes by challenging your belief system. But, when you're ready, you might want to tap into your Spheres of Influence. You might know them already by their more informal names, like your sister, your boss or the nice lady at the bakery that always gives you the broken scone for free.
Spheres of Influence are the different areas of our lives where we may hold formal or informal power. The circles radiate out from ourselves to our family and friends to those in the greater community. And identifying them may have us realize we have even more ability to influence change than we realize. Activate just one of these areas, and we've already increased our potential of winning. Because with them, you have the power in numbers.
But it all starts with one.