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Showing Original Post only (View all)I want to leave Florida. It ain't that easy [View all]
I often find myself thinking of my grandparents who had to leave the only country they'd ever known to come here to America. It must have been terrifying to head for a place where there was no one you knew and you didn't speak the language. I can always picture them on a boat in New York Harbor, sailing past the Statue of Liberty, looking at it with awe, knowing they had arrived in a safe place where they could be free.
This is no longer the country they came to. Fascism is on the march, and Florida is right up there in the lead. Fighting our fascist governor and legislature is virtually impossible. They've gerrymandered the state, and installed voter suppression "rules," to the point where it's virtually impossible for them to lose control in the foreseeable future.
As few as ten years ago, no one thought that FL would have a ban on abortion after six weeks, no need for a license to carry a gun, bans on countless books, attacks on education and banning the teaching of true American history, "Don't say gay." And it really is becoming ever more worrisome here if you're Black, Jewish, Muslim, or anyone who isn't a specific type of white, "Christian." Many here don't hesitate to fly confederate flags, but I'm guessing it's just a matter of time before some people will feel free to display swastikas.
I've lived here for many years now and moving means leaving behind friends, community, a way of life, and there are also financial considerations. I know how difficult it would be to start over again in someplace sane and new.
I now realize the tremendous courage that my grandparents had and I hope that I can find in myself. Nonetheless, this is not a place in which I wish to remain.