The Orlando Sentinel reports:
For University of Central Florida students Izzie Uribe and Niyanna Jeffcoat, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to dismantle diversity and inclusion programs and interrogate campuses about health services provided to transgender students pose an imminent threat to their campus. The pair stood with hundreds of their peers on the university’s Memory Mall on Thursday afternoon, protesting what they view as an attack on higher education by DeSantis and other state Republican leaders.
The demonstration was one of several “Stand up for Freedom” walk-outs that took place at university campuses across the state. Many of the students who attended Thursday’s protest at UCF, which lasted more than an hour, held up signs with messages like “Kick DeSantis out of education,” “Stand up against facism,” “Diversity is power,” and “What happened to the First Amendment? If DeSantis is not stopped, Jeffcoat said, “our degrees could be worth nothing.”
Read the full article.
UCF students protest DeSantis higher education agenda: ‘We should not be afraid’ https://t.co/EvWNkLKhqt pic.twitter.com/A1V5CPPzfu
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) February 23, 2023
Proud to walkout with @UCF students today to protest Ron DeSantis hostile right-wing takeover of higher education and to #standforfreedom! ?
Young people are organizing to protect academic freedom, diversity programs (DEI), and LGBTQ students— all under attack in Florida. pic.twitter.com/z1oRqMa302
— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) February 23, 2023
“The demonstration will demand bringing an end to what organizers say is ‘the DeSantis administration’s attacks on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students, faculty and staff.’” #standforfreedom https://t.co/cedX431yn6
— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) February 23, 2023
@hasanthehun @nothasanabi my university in florida hosted a walkout to protest against everything the desantis administration is doing against education, DEI, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students and faculty. my first protest too! seeing the turnout gives me hope for the future. #hastwt pic.twitter.com/5zmSwat6ii
— nat (@natnatonline) February 23, 2023