GUEST COLUMN | DENNIS STREETS

Florida — a model for the nation?

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I was born and raised in Florida. I still return periodically to visit my roots and tend to the grave sites of my ancestors.

My family’s history in Florida goes back to the 1800s. That may be why I was sometimes called a Florida cracker.

According to Wikipedia, “Florida crackers were colonial-era British, American pioneer settlers in what is now the U.S. state of Florida; the term is also applied to their descendants, to the present day, and their subculture among white Southerners.” 

To some extent I match the description of crackers portrayed in the 2006 book by Dana M. Ste. Claire, “Cracker: Cracker Culture in Florida History.” My family enjoyed the sunshine state well before the time of air conditioning and protection against mosquitoes.

Today, though, I wince at the term “cracker” rather than feel proud. I don’t want to be associated with a term used in the Elizabethan era “to describe braggarts and blowhards.”

Why is this an issue for me now? I can credit Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently said that Florida is “the number one destination for our fellow Americans who are looking for a better life.”

Mr. DeSantis, don’t count me among this group — especially as you have led the state backward in my opinion. I really don’t want to return to a state that appears to value guns over lives; seeks to further restrict a woman’s right to choose; fails to address climate change despite the recent devastation; makes race and gender contentious; shows disdain for those who are different and vulnerable; seeks to restrict learning and undermine education; and gets in a fight with Mickey Mouse. 

I can recall my time at Seminole elementary in the late 1950s when nearly every day began with our singing of “Dixie”: “I wish I was in the land of cotton. Old times there are not forgotten; Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.”

Mr. DeSantis, I have no interest in returning to the “old times” when segregation and hate divided us, and prejudice and discrimination harmed many.

I much prefer the lyrics of Pete Seeger: “The truth shall make us free; the truth shall make us free; the truth shall make us free someday. Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe — That we shall overcome someday.”

Fortunately, I had parents, educators and faith leaders who valued integrity and decency, and were open-minded and respectful of others — I guess Mr. DeSantis would have labeled them “woke.” Personally, I am interested in seeing our nation progress by appreciating and tapping the interests, knowledge, skills and talents of all people toward the betterment of all. Culture wars, led by bullies, is not a remedy for that. 

Dennis W. Streets is the former director of the Chatham County Council on Aging.