More than fifty young men and women gathered at the Florida Capitol building today to conduct what they call “the real state of the state address.” The group "Dream Defenders" is petitioning the Governor and legislature to reform elections, repeal the stand your ground law, and help immigrants become citizens.
The activist group emerged from the 2012 shooting of 17-year old Trayvon Martin. Now it's expanded its scope of activism to not only include pushing a repeal of the "Stand Your Ground" law but is taking up issues like immigration and elections reform. Dream Defender Selema Ali says because of her immigration status, her dream has been deferred.
“My existence in this country, a country I’ve called home for most of my life, has been labeled illegal. In the eyes of this state I am illegal. I’m not human; I’m not Selema Ali, a woman with hopes and dreams," She said, speaking at the Capitol just prior to Governor Rick Scott's State of the State Address.
Dream Defenders has grown from a small movement to an organization with chapters in Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Tallahassee. The group is made up of students from several Florida universities and backed by the SEIU, the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center.