Stand For Freedom

Since its inception, Stand For Freedom has been committed to building a system of inclusivity and acceptance in the state of Florida through education. We have worked with lawmakers, student organizers, and activist groups across the state to form a coalition of resistance against the state government’s war on independence, on freedom, and on personal liberty.

The DeSantis administration’s proposed ban on DEI initiatives and entire fields of studies from education were only the beginning. Attacks on educational tenure will force professors out of the state, warn away new faculty, and push students who want to pursue academia to do so elsewhere. Florida presently has one of the most successful & impactful research environments in the country, and with three universities in the entire nation’s top fifty, it’s easy to see how. In addition, having one of the most successful public education scholarship programs in Bright Futures alongside Florida Prepaid makes our universities some of the most accessible. These programs were implemented in 1987 and 1997; since then, we have seen some of the most diverse school populations in the country. On the foundation of these programs, Florida has become a harbor of intellectual diversity - one that challenges DeSantis' administration, and one that he wishes to silence and drain.

Stand For Freedom is committed to a continued defense of freedom in all forms. As a student-led organization, we are focused on protecting educational, intellectual, and academic freedoms, but we understand the importance of standing in solidarity with our peers, wherever they are. To this end, we have worked with a variety of entities, such as Equality Florida and the Dream Defenders, to ensure we are as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible – the very things that Ron DeSantis aims to take away from us.

On Thursday, February 23rd, over 4,000 students walked out across the state to show their support for our message. Now, we’re getting ready to put up an even bigger showing. We are working to bring a delegation of students from every single public school in the state to Tallahassee to show how widespread the resistance to restrictions on freedom is. We are inviting students, activists, and organizers to participate in a day of unity, community, and solidarity on April 22nd.

We are sick and tired of out-of-touch politicians enforcing their autocratic ideals on a democratic population. When every step we take is opposed, combatted, and put-down at every turn; when every time we raise our hand we are silenced, vetoed, and censured; when every time we take a breath someone is ready to interrupt, interject, and cut in, we can no longer afford the privilege of silence, inactivity, and quietude, and we will do whatever it takes to reclaim our rights. We will do whatever it takes to reclaim our state.

This GoFundMe campaign is being run directly by the Stand For Freedom organizers. These funds will be used to cover the costs of major efforts, such as bussing people to Tallahassee & other protest sites, feeding & lodging our participants, as well as reimbursing individuals across the state for their efforts to support the Stand For Freedom. We will reimburse individuals for costs such as gas money when carpooling, printing flyers, posters, and stickers, and so on.

Excess funds will also be used to support organizers across the state to make sure that young activists do not need to sacrifice their livelihoods to stand up for their rights. Organizing protests, sit-ins, and rallies is a time-consuming process, and we want to support not just our own efforts, but those of students across the state.