When the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and its administrator Glen Gilzean announced that it would drop all DEI programs and race-based hiring practices, Gilzean made sure that he mentioned his previous employer, the Central Florida Urban League. But now, the National Urban League is blasting the decision to drop DEI programs and distancing itself from Gilzean.
Related: DeSantis Board Goes Full ‘Anti-Work’ Abolishes DEI And Race-Based Programs
In a statement to USA Today, the National Urban League criticizes the decision to drop all DEI programs and says that Glen Gilzean should know better than to use DEI programs for “political expediency.” Gilzean was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has attempted to rid Florida of all DEI programs and race-based hiring with the “Anti-WOKE Act.” That Act was put on hold by a Federal Judge as a lawsuit makes its way through the court system.
National Urban League President Marc Morial said in a statement to USA Today:
The National Urban League and our nationwide movement of more than 90 local affiliates are shocked and dismayed by Glen Gilzean’s betrayal of the values at the very core of our mission. His rejection of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles is a rejection of the Urban League Movement and the pursuit of racial justice itself. We vigorously and emphatically reject any implied association with Mr. Gilzean’s current words or actions. His crass political expediency is all the more offensive given his previous vantage point to the harm he knows it will cause.
Related: Disney Tees Up Another Fight With DeSantis Board
The National Urban League is one of the Nation’s oldest Civil Rights Organizations and says that its purpose is “to help African-Americans and others in underserved communities achieve their highest true social parity, economic self-reliance, power, and civil rights,” Gilzean was the president and CEO of the Central Florida chapter from 2015 until this May when he took a paid position of Administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Disney World can ignore the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District decree and continue its DEI initiatives. According to legal experts, the DeSantis appointees only have jurisdiction over hiring practices and initiatives within the District. They cannot instruct private businesses within its borders how to conduct themselves.
Disney and the new board are fighting over more than just diversity programs. There is currently a lawsuit brought by Disney in Federal Court against Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and the new board. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has sued Disney in State Court over deals reached with the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Disney has put in place several diversity and equity initiatives. The DeSantis appointee, Gilzean, has called any diversity, equity, and inclusion-based initiatives “illegal and un-American.” However, the Civil Rights organization disagrees with the characterization of those programs.
