By Kristen Hernandez
Stay Woke Florida rolled into Fort Lauderdale during their 31-city rolling bus protest encouraging black voters to take their power to the ballot box throughout the entirety of election season. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the supermajority Republican stronghold has issued a slew of anti-woke legislation recently aimed at further dividing and already divided state in an attempt at redefining curriculum and programs within Florida higher education institutions.
Local politicians along with national and local organizations partnered together to advocate for Florida’s right to diverse, comprehensive education by speaking out against anti-CRT (Critical Race Theory), anti-trans, and anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and & Inclusion). Bipartisan groups like Rainbow Push Coalition, League of Women Voters, American Federation of Teachers, NAACP, Transformative Justice Coalition and more began the 31-city tour in Jacksonville and made stops along the eastern coast of Florida, encouraging locals to Stay Woke, or stay asleep.
“I know it’s hot out here but that’s what it takes to stand up against fascism and Marxism in Tallahassee,” Florida Senator of District 35, Shervin Jones said during the protest. “One hundred and sixty years ago, people that look like you and me weren’t allowed to do anything in the State of Florida, because we weren’t free. Look at us now. We’ve been here before. Change doesn’t happen sitting on the sidelines. Use your voice and vote because that vote, your voice, has power.”
Two large buses rolled into South Florida, one loaded with 27 volunteers and the other filled with 500 banned books that were given away, including titles like The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall, and The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson.
“Govenor DeSantis and his cronies passed a bill that’s defunding our programs,” college student Cedric Jones, 19, said during a speech. Jones was one of 27 volunteers that spoke out during the rolling protest. “Majors for students are being removed and some students are having to start brand-new majors. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are scraping pennies because there’s no more money. They can no longer erase our history. Vote like my life depends on it, and vote like your life and livelihood depends on it. Because it does.”
Proposed legislation, including not-yet-passed HB999, would ban gender study major and minors, bans DEI scholarships and further program funding, ban any “theoretical” studies, would require all students to take general education courses on Western values “necessary to preserve the constitutional republic” and bans general education courses that present American history as anything “contrary to the creation of a new nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence”, which could potentially erase mentions of genocide and slavery. HB999 also includes the troubling transferring of power of decision making over faculty hiring and tenure to a Board of Trustees appointed by the governor.
“Our state is where woke goes to die,” Governor Ron DeSantis has said in almost every campaign speech since his second term of governorship was announced. In January during his inaugural speech, DeSantis said, “We reject this woke ideology. We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy. We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional.”
“We’re out here for love. Love for community, people, and our children,” Cliff Albright said, co-founder and Executive Director of Black Voters Matter. “When we work together, there ain’t nothing we can’t do. So don’t tell us what we can’t do. We can take our power back and vote and believe in that power. Faith and belief are a powerful thing.”
Marcus Arbery, Sr., whose son Ahmaud Arbery was hunted down and killed by three white men during a hate-driven shooting in Georgia, appeared with the protest in unity with other close relatives. They stood in silence wearing matching t-shirts with two words printed on them, “Never Forget”.
“History is going to judge us for what we do and what we don’t do in this moment,” Senator Jones said. “We fight by pushing back and we can’t stop here. Raise your voice at the ballot box in not just primary elections, but in general elections and they will see we’re serious about our communities and about our futures. What do you want history to say about you?”
