Written By Zack Linly
We all know that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is so allergic to the very idea of anti-racism education that he would’ve backed mask mandates and all the vaccine shots required if they would’ve just called coronavirus “COVID-1619.” DeSantis wakes up every morning and brushes his teeth with his own personal brand of toothpaste called “Whitewash” before dabbing his neck with his dokkktor-prescribed “Woke-Away” ointment. During the holiday season, DeSantis roasts pro-critical race theory (CRT) math books on an open fire.
What I’m saying is, when DeSantis isn’t using his power to attempt the redistricting of his state’s congressional map for literally no other reason besides diluting Black voting power, he’s pretending systemic racism doesn’t exist and raining down fire and brimstone on all things involving race or gender in the classroom. He’s one of the most tenacious condemners of CRT despite him not having a clue what it is.
So, I wonder if he’s aware that his state pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to a consulting firm that teaches racial inclusivity and embraces CRT.
From Politico:
Florida currently contracts with Tallahassee-based MGT Consulting, a firm whose chairman and CEO is former Republican state Rep. Trey Traviesa. The company provides services such as creating “high-profile, racially sensitive studies that address social inequity and lead to recommendations for true social change.”
Most of the $700,000 the state has paid to MGT Consulting since DeSantis took office is paid through Florida’s Department of Education.
So, let me see if I have this right: Florida’s demonstrably conservative Board of Education is paying the better part of a million dollars to a consulting firm that teaches racial diversity and inclusivity and is run by a Republican. (MGT Consulting had been teaching it long before Travies a got on board, but still.)
The only thing that would make this better is if the firm specifically said it embraces CRT.
“We have carefully chosen a team that is well-versed in critical race theory, as well as the analysis necessary to develop a racially equitable organizational structure and racial equity plan,” the firm wrote in a “Racial Equity Plan” it proposed to the city of Golden, Colorado, last year.
Oh.
MGT has reportedly written dozens of similar proposals sent to states across the country and, according to its website, it has decades of experience in “all aspects of equity evaluation, diversity and social justice research, and critical race theory.”
More from Politico:
The company was hired by the city of Charlottesville, Va., for a “groundbreaking” study in the wake of a 2016 rally that saw white supremacist clash with counter protesters, leaving one dead. That fatal protest led President Donald Trump to say there were “fine people on both sides.”
The company has also done extensive work for Florida government entities, including using “race and gender” data that was “used to shape policy designed to increase diversity in [state university] institutions.”
Bruh, there’s just no way DeSantis knows about this. He’d be hyperventilating in the sealed white fragility bunker he had built in case of a woke-apocalypse.
Anyway, the Florida Department of Education sent out a statement claiming has “never contracted with MGT for anything related to Critical Race Theory” since DeSantis took office in 2019.
“The Department does not police the work our contractors complete for other clients,” the department’s director of communications, Alex Lanfranc Oni, wrote in a statement. “Providing sporadic examples of MGT work in other states for unrelated organizations and attempting to connect it with the Florida Department of Education is dishonest and disappointing.”
Come on now—that’s like the department saying it isn’t racist, it’s just sending $700,000 to the Klan because those white hats make for good party favors.
Just admit your little white nationalist state is paying a racial inclusivity firm on the low. But don’t tell DeSantis—he might barf up his CRT antibiotics.
