‘80% of Them Are the Problem’: Florida School Boardmember Melts Down in Racist Rant Against Black People— and Then Quotes White Nationalist
A Florida school board member is under fire from his community for some insensitive racial remarks he shared on social media about the Black community. Robert Alvero, a U.S. citizen from Cuba who serves on the school board in Clay County, Florida, recorded himself last month in a now-deleted Facebook Live talking about his interactions and experiences with different racial groups in this country, specifically white and Black Americans: Robert Alvero (Photo: Clay County District Schools) I have had 80 percent more negative experience with the African American community in this country than with white people. That being said, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t had good experiences with African American people. I have met a lot of great African American people, and I’m still friends with them because they are good decent people, but that’s 20 percent of the people that I’ve met, African Americans. The other 80 percent, they’ve been nasty, they’ve been rude, they’ve been problematic—always trying to fight, disrespecting. So, why would I want to be around people like that. No. ‘It’s Just Open Season on Our Kids’: Racist Harassment of Black Students Surges as Trump’s Education Department Looks the Other Way Alvero went on to say he understands "where Nick Fuentes is coming from," referencing a widely known white nationalist and right-wing commentator who promotes white supremacy, misogyny and Holocaust denial on his podcast, "America First." Alvero also shared that he sometimes feels racist against people of his nationality and added that he "learned how to be an American, so right now I'm not even similar to my own race." The comments were first reported by Clay Views & News. According to the outlet, Alvero was elected to the school board in 2024 and ran on a platform that included keeping politics out of the classroom. He represents the Oakleaf community in Clay County, whose population is nearly 25 percent African-American. Alvero later apologized for the remarks, stating that his comments were "wrong and offensive." "While I faced some negative interactions, including being called names and even physically assaulted, I also met many good, decent people some of whom remain my friends today. I want to clarify that these experiences are personal and not meant to generalize," part of Alvero's statement reads. "It was an attempt to say people’s character is not defined by their visual characteristics, life experiences, or socioeconomic standards. We as people are divisive, and through the best of my ability I was trying to point out how people can judge each other while not seeing both sides and how stereotypes of a whole group are not accurate." But for community and state leaders, the apology isn't enough. “Words matter, watch your words for they create your world. When an elected official speaks with such broad condemnation of an entire community, it sends a harmful message,” said Bishop Marvin C. Zanders during the news conference. One of Alvero's fellow school board members also denounced the comments. “Appalled is probably the best way to say it to begin with. I guess forest gump said it best: You can't fix stupid,” Clay County School Board member Beth Clark, who serves District 3, told WTLV. "As a society that has developed over the centuries, and we're still a very young society, a very young nation, we have learned you don't paint somebody by the pigmentation of their skin." Clay County faith and civic leaders demanded that the school board impose mandatory and ongoing anti-racism training and called for Alvero's resignation. However, under Florida law, only the governor can remove an elected official from office. “We cannot ask for his resignation in the sense that he is an elected official. He should’ve been vetted better by his party. We could do, probably, a vote of no confidence, but I don’t think Clay County has run into this before,” Clark said. Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has requested Alvero's presence at the next State Board of Education meeting on Jan. 21 to explain himself. Alvero's attorney, Anthony Sabatini, pushed back against the criticism that surfaced against Alvero and added that his client would not be attending the state board meeting. “School Board Member Alvero is a selfless public servant, won his election in a landslide, and is widely supported in Clay County. These radical Democrat political activists who seek to eliminate his First Amendment rights are out of step with the people of Clay County," Sabatini stated.
