A new driver’s license design introduced by the state last week was denounced by state Rep. RaShon Young, D-Orlando, as “tone-deaf” for its use of an historic motto.
The redesign, which in part is to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, features images of the state seal, Castillo de San Marcos, the Space Shuttle Discovery, a Florida manatee, an alligator in the REAL ID star, an orange in the “O” of Florida, and the motto “Let Us Alone.”
The motto was first associated with Florida as part of an unofficial flag unfurled when the territory entered the union as a slave state in 1845.
“Words do not exist outside of history,” Young said. “For enslaved people, demands for government noninterference meant leaving intact a system that denied their humanity and exploited their labor. Placing this phrase on credentials Black Floridians must carry is a slap in the face to communities whose ancestors endured that injustice.”
When included in the first proposed flag, several northern newspapers questioned the isolationist tone of the motto, with the Boston Courier terming the slogan “rather strange” for a territory joining a federal union.
The flag and motto were used at the inauguration of Gov. William Moseley, with the state House agreeing to the design in a joint resolution. But the state Senate initially objected to the motto, later approving the design and wording in a simple resolution. The flag, however, continued to be considered unofficial as the two chambers approved different forms of resolutions.
The state wouldn’t adopt an official flag until it entered the Confederacy.
Young suggested the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to reconsider the phrase and consult historians and representatives of Florida’s diverse communities.
“We cannot celebrate ‘We the People’ while overlooking the people denied its protection,” Young added. “Florida proclaims its greatness, but greatness requires the courage to acknowledge our history and the judgment to avoid romanticizing its darkest chapters.”
