The reception outside The Union League in Philadelphia was not a warm one for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was to be honored during a Tuesday reception and program.
A large crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the private club founded in 1862 by the Old Philadelphians as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln.
The city’s NAACP chapter had called on the private club to cancel the event, an unlikely outcome as the Union League had already rebuffed a similar request from more than 100 dues-paying members.
Demonstrators waved flags carrying the banners of Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ rights and chanted “shame” and “racist” to those entering or leaving the club’s doors on South Broad Street prior to the event. Most ignored the protesters, but a few exchanged words and insults.
DeSantis received the historic club’s highest honor — a gold medal first awarded to President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
Aspiring City Council member Terrill Haigler told the Philadelphia Tribune that the decision to honor DeSantis was “a pretty big slap in the face” given the Floridian’s move to ban AP African-American studies in the state’s schools.
“My hope is that The Union League doesn’t give them the award. I hope that they hear us,” said Haigler. “We know that Philadelphia was built on conversation, and we just want to have a conversation with the Union League so they can hear how we feel and then take it into consideration before they give them this award.”
“The fact that Gov. DeSantis has denied Black and brown people their own history is an affront to their culture,” said the Rev. Robert Collier, the president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity. “This smells like Jim Crow 2023.”
Earlier in the day, following a series of unanswered public and private pleas calling for Union League leadership to reverse course and cancel Tuesday evening’s sold-out award ceremony for DeSantis, organizers from the Philadelphia NAACP as well as a variety of local activism groups convened the “Fight Against Anti-Blackness Protest and Press Conference” in front of hundreds of concerned Philadelphians just hours before DeSantis was set to receive the club’s award.
The Union League has steadfastly refused to discuss in public the DeSantis event or the backlash it created within the club. The event, with tickets costing $160, was sold out.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Union League told members last week that electronic devices must be turned off during the DeSantis event and that no photography or video recording was allowed. Members were also not allowed to ask DeSantis for his autograph.
At a news conference, Sharon Vaughn announced that she will be introducing a resolution at the next City Council meeting denouncing the Union League for its move to honor DeSantis. The resolution is expected to be co-sponsored by Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson and potentially others.
“How dare they? How dare they decide to give this man this award. This is ridiculous. This is not acceptable. … We need to let them know that we will not stand for this nonsense. If you come in Philadelphia and act crazy, we’ll meet you with the same energy,” Vaughn said.
Organizers at the event also issued a series of demands to the Union League and Philadelphia at large that included: canceling the event honoring DeSantis, seeing club members rescind their memberships, having state and federal entities boycott club engagements and services, and having advertisers pull financial support from the club.
The club has not responded publicly to requests for comment.
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4 Responses
Thank God we still have institutions that respect the rule of law and common sense solutions. Governor DeSantis is deserving of this honor!. Thank you to the Union League!
Racists and bigots like DeSantis are undeserving of any honor
For what does a man deserve an award who denies the reality.of Covid, places immigrants on planes and lies to these vulnerable people
about their ultimate destination, and
ridicules students, who were wearing masks, on a dais, behind Mr, DeSantis when he was issuing some sort of promulgation. ? May I add these are not the worst examples of his style of governance which lacks empathy and intelligence??!!
It seems the answer is reelection as a Republican in a swing state by a percentage larger than that of Governor Shapiro. Additionally, with the largest number of African American and Latino American vote percentage recorded. Just be honest here and drop the bullshit fake moralizing – you hate him and he was protested by the losers because he is a threat. He will wipe the floor with Biden. Just be honest, more people may trust you and your party then.