July 10th 2023.
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) has decided to relocate their annual convention from Orlando, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia. The group’s leaders no longer feel that Florida is an appropriate backdrop for the event, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Avery Layne, the national chairperson of the group, spoke about the decision. “When we look at all that’s going on in Florida right now, we have to ask ourselves if that’s the kind of environment we want to create for our members.” These members range from professionals in industry to pre-college students in the third grade.
Janeen Uzzell, the group’s chief executive officer, said that the relocation of the convention will cost upwards of $1.2 million, but that the move was worth it. NSBE is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the country, founded in 1975 with the mission to “increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”
This year’s convention took place in Kansas City, Missouri, and was sponsored by American Express, Bridgestone Tires, and Dell Technologies. In light of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ announcement that the state’s DEI efforts would end on July 1, NSBE’s leaders have already begun making the changes to relocate next year’s convention.
DeSantis said in a press conference that “we are going to treat people as individuals; we’re not going to treat people as members of groups.” This goes against the work done for civil rights by activists and leaders, and is just one of the reasons why the group felt it necessary to relocate their convention.
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