College students across Florida took matters into their own hands as hundreds of students from Florida State University, Florida A&M, and Tallahassee Community College walked out of class, Thursday. The event protested against Governor Ron DeSantis’ opposition of critical race theory and his recent policies surrounding LGBTQ treatment records.
The large crowd gathered in front of Westcott fountain on FSU’s campus, chanting as they donned gay pride flags and Black Lives Matter apparel.
LGBTQ-rights advocate Isiah Taylor, stood alongside the students in support. Taylor says the event was about the “comradity between fellow friends.” When asked about the importance of the walk out, here’s how he responded:
“Because we are living in a very interesting time,” said Taylor. “We are seeing fascism and authoritarianism come to Florida and we don’t want that, because this is the United States and we should stand for democracy.”
Representatives from FSU’s Black Student Union, FAMU’s Chapter of the National Association of Advancement for Colored People, and student government leaders spoke on behalf of their organization’s to advocate for continued support in their efforts to derail DeSantis’ “conservative agenda.”
FAMU’s SGA Chief Justice, Devan Vilfrard, took to social media during the walk out to express his feelings. Vilfrard openly tags DeSantis in the Instagram post in an attempt to, “put the governor on notice.”
“[@flgovrondesantis] You are on notice. Your self serving and racist policies are only going to make us fight back harder every time we organize. When we fight, we win and we will win.”
Another student organized protest is scheduled for next week at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, where DeSantis has recently appointed six new members to the school’s Board of Trustees.