The “Stay Woke Florida” protest rolled through the River City on Monday at the IBEW Union Hall.
The mobile bus tour is traveling to 15 cities across Florida to protest laws that it believes target people of color and the LGBTQ+ community and push back against recent bills signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
After a news conference Monday, the tour headed to Tallahassee to march from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The tour, hosted by three advocacy groups: the Florida NAACAP, the Transformative Justice Coalition, and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition — recognized Juneteenth on Monday by protesting newly enacted laws in Florida, encouraging supporters to “Stay Woke.”
Organizers of “Stay Woke Florida’s” rolling protest believe that the state has become “ground zero for suppressing democratic principles, ideas and academic freedom.”
A series of travel advisories were put in place by civil rights groups in response to legislation restricting AP African American Studies and banding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at state universities, restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender adults and children, and a recent anti-immigration bill.
The participating groups are passing out banned books, registering voters and pushing for stronger gun laws.
They stress that they are non-partisan, educating people on the importance of being politically engaged. More than two dozen people boarded the bus to address the issues, and they say they want their message to be loud and clear
“Your governor is out there promoting his hate. Promoting his very anti-Black, anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-gay agenda across the country,” said Barbara Arnwine, of the Transformative Justice Coalition. “He says he wants to make America Florida. We say that Florida right now is a nightmare because all of their First Amendment freedoms have been stolen.”
The rolling protest returns to Jacksonville this weekend.