Florida's 2022 Stop WOKE Act banned teaching or mandatory workplace activities about racism or sexism, part of governor Ron DeSantis' "war on woke ideology." The ban violates free speech provisions of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, wrote a federal judge yesterday, permanently blocking the workplace training provisions.
"(This is) a powerful reminder that the First Amendment cannot be warped to serve the interests of elected officials," Shalini Goel Agarwal, counsel for Protect Democracy,said in a post on X on Friday. "Censoring business owners from speaking in favor of ideas that politicians don't like is a move ripped straight from the authoritarian playbook."
DeSantis has championed the "Stop WOKE Act" as standing up against what he called "indoctrination." He frequently referred to the law during his unsuccessful run for president, with the slogan that Florida was where "woke goes to die."
The term has turned into a polarizing word in the US political climate, describing awareness – particularly about history, oppression and social justice issues – for some, while being a pejorative used to denounce progressive action and certain teachings about race for others.
CNN reports that Florida made no effort to defend the law in court. It was all just a song and dance to make right-wingers know who DeSantis is and what he's about, but his presidential campaign was a flop and none of that matters now.
