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St. Louis County NAACP switches stance on travel advisory, now agrees with national conference

ST. LOUIS – Just days after calling on the NAACP to rescind a travel advisory in Missouri, the St. Louis County NAACP chapter is backing down and stepping back in line with the national organization’s stance.

“After additional study and consultation with our state conference, the St. Louis County NAACP wholeheartedly supports the travel advisory issued by our national conference,” the chapter stated in a press release issued on Saturday.

The local branch’s decision to push back against the parent organization came after the national NAACP passed a resolution in July to warn minorities about the potential dangers of traveling through the Show-Me State, citing the new law created by SB 43.

The St. Louis County chapter argued that the travel advisory was unfair to Missouri, saying that the law in question was already being used in some format in 38 other states, calling on the NAACP to roll back their decision as the “people hurt by the travel advisory are the members of our NAACP community who work across our state in hospitality industry jobs and who have played no role in this legislation.”

But after looking again, the St. Louis County chapter has changed their stance, saying they agree with the national conference’s travel advisory.

“Those who sponsored this bill have used deceptive tactics to conceal what they’ve actually done,” Esther Haywood, St. Louis County NAACP President, said. “They’ve taken away our protections from unlawful and immoral discrimination. Just how far back in time are they planning to take us?”

The new law goes into effect on August 28.