Floridians are continuing to express their outrage over the policy decisions undertaken by Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who seems consistently interested in restricting what’s allowed at the state’s schools, from lower grades through college.
Besides his high-profile push against an Advanced Placement (AP) course for high-schoolers in what is termed African American Studies, DeSantis has also announced an initiative, key portions of which will need (expected) approval from legislators, to restrict public colleges and universities in Florida from using any of their funding for programs in either critical race theory or diversity, equity, and inclusion, known as DEI for short. Last year, Republicans secured super-majorities in both chambers of the Florida state legislature, helping the second-term governor with establishing an easy inroad for his policies.
The idea, meanwhile, that DeSantis is somehow standing up for freedom with initiative after initiative restricting what can be taught, including to adult residents of Florida, is obviously ridiculous. In reality, he’s in the process of enacting, or trying to enact, some kind of safe space for fragile Republican egos who evidently can’t bear the thought of a challenging college course. Now, college students are planning protests, including a march in Tallahassee, which is Florida’s capital, to the governor’s mansion.
Organizers are planning a statewide afternoon of walkouts at high-profile schools like Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of South Florida. Florida State University (FSU) is in Tallahassee, and it’s students there conducting the protest march to the governor’s residence, which is situated rather nearby. Groups involved in the planned demonstrations include the statewide offshoot of the Florida Democratic Party geared towards college students and an independent organization called Dream Defenders, and the bulk of the display of opposition to DeSantis’s policies is set to take place on Thursday, although other protests were also planned. The number of students statewide who already said they’d be joining protests already passed 1,000.
Other recent protests include demonstrations outside the capitol building in Tallahassee, a show of oppositional force in which civil rights leader Al Sharpton participated. DeSantis also encountered protests when he recently traveled to Philadelphia to accept a civic leadership award from a private organization that is headquartered there. In both Philadelphia and Tallahassee, elected officials have joined the pushes against the Florida governor, who remains a subject of speculation over the possibility he launches a run for president in 2024. There is, of course, not really anything demanding he only run for president in 2024 or never kickstart a campaign, and considering he’s only in his 40s and wildly popular in Republican circles in Florida, it seems safe to assume he’ll be around in politics for awhile.
