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US Open women’s champ whines about ‘current state’ of Florida: ‘It’s a crazy time’ to be a ‘black’ resident

May 22, 2024 | | Print Article

A BLM-friendly black tennis player has made headlines for trash-talking Florida, considered by many to be America’s best state.

Coco Gauff is her name, and she’s no fan of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican agenda.

“[It’s] a crazy time to be a Floridian, especially a black one at that,” she claimed to the Associated Press.

“We aren’t happy with the current state of our government in Florida, especially everything with the books and just the way our office operates,” she added.

DeSantis has been on a widely supported mission to remove pornographic books from school shelves.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to the youth and the community being outspoken,” Gauff continued. “So I encourage everyone to vote, and use your voice regardless of who you vote for. There’s no point in complaining [about] the political climate of the world if you don’t exercise your right to vote.”

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“I feel like sometimes in my generation, people think their vote doesn’t count. We should just all just use our voices and use the power that we have,” she said.

At least she didn’t outright say “go vote for Democrats,” yet when pressed on which specific candidates she’s voting for, she demurred.

“I’ll leave who I vote to myself,” she said. “I’m not publicly backing any candidate.”

However, she reportedly delivered a speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 when she was only 16.

Listen:

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“I think it’s sad that I’m here protesting the same thing that [my grandmother] did 50-plus years ago,” she said during the speech. “So I’m here to tell you guys that we must first love each other no matter what. We must have the tough conversations with our friends. I’ve been spending all week having tough conversations, trying to educate my non-black friends on how they can help the movement.”

“Second, we need to take action. Yes, we’re all out here protesting, and I’m not of age to vote, and it’s in your hands to vote for my future, my brother’s future and for your future. So that’s one way to make change,” she continued.

“Third, you need to use your voice, no matter how big or small your platform is, you need to use your voice. I saw a Dr. [Martin Luther] King quote that said, ‘The silence of the good people is worse than the brutality of the bad people.’ So, you need to not be silent. If you are choosing silence, you’re choosing the side of the oppressor,” she concluded.

Dovetailing back to her remarks to the AP, they inspired a lot of clapback from conservatives, particularly black Florida conservatives.

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Look:

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Gauff’s remarks also inspired a response from DeSantis’ spokesperson, Jeremy Redfern.

“It is definitely ‘a crazy time to be a Floridian,’ with the number one economy in the nation, the best state for education and parental empowerment (with no banned books), record-breaking tourism, and being the number one destination for Americans leaving other states behind,” he said in a statement. “With the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida is thriving.”

Vivek Saxena
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