A group of Florida teachers, students and activists will address the United Nations in Switzerland this week over what they call the “authoritarian experiment” in the state.
The group of five will share testimonies of what it’s like living in Florida under new laws that they say target Black, brown, and LGBTQ people and immigrants.
Those laws include the Parental Rights in Education law, Stop Woke Act, Florida’s anti-riot law, and Florida’s new immigration law.
Malik Ready is a student at FAMU, who is originally from the Altamonte Springs area. He’s mostly worried about new restrictions on peaceful protests, after he was hit by a truck during a protest in 2020.
“I don't want us to have to go back to do a Million Man March or March on Washington sixty years from now. I want us to be in a place where we can say that we love each other no matter what," said Ready.
He said he wants to see an end to rhetoric that can lead to violence.
“My mother saw me come home. There are many mothers who don’t get to see their children come home," said Ready.
Along with Ready, Miami high schooler Eboni Felton, Miami teacher Renee O'Connor, New College of Florida graduate Madison Markham, and Maven Leadership Collective's Corey Davis will speak at the UN.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says these laws are necessary to maintain law and order in the state and give parents greater control over what is taught in the classroom.
Read the full report the students will present at the UN here.
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