National Black Engineering Society Moves Convention From Florida Amid The State’s Attacks On DEI

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) has announced its 2024 convention will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, next year rather than in Orlando, Florida, where it was originally to be held.

Under the rule of Gov Ron DeSantis, the state has seen several attacks on diversity and inclusion, leaving convention participants concerned about the state’s political climate and safety. 

What is the NSBE?

The NSBE is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the United States and was formed in 1975, growing from six founding members to over 30,000 members at its height.

They aim to support and promote the aspirations of college and pre-college students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. 

They hold annual conventions with this year’s theme, “Engineering CommUNITY,” which they have said is drawn from their society’s mission statement.

“NSBE was formed almost 50 years ago in response to the sparsity of Black people enrolling and succeeding in engineering education programs,” said NSBE CEO Janeen Uzzell in a letter to members.

What happened?

DeSantis, who is also running for president, has repeatedly attacked diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the state’s education system with measures such as bans on state funding for DEI programs at Florida’s public universities after characterizing them as “trendy” or “woke.”

In their letter to members, NSBE gave a bulleted list of reasons why they moved from Florida, including the state’s Curriculum Transparency Act, which led to books containing “woke” ideology being removed from schools shelves and the rejection of the College Board’s AP African American Studies course.

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Additionally, on May 20, the NAACP, an organization working to disrupt inequality and racism, issued NSBE a formal travel advisory for Florida.

It stated, “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGTQ+ individuals.”

“Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state devalues and marginalizes the contributions and challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.” 

Confirming their aim and mission, Uzzell said that as a Black organization, they stand in solidarity with efforts and advisories from Black legacy organizations.