'Stay Woke Rolling Votercade' stops in Daytona Beach

DAYTONA BEACH — For nearly three hours Friday afternoon, the sanctuary of Allen Chapel AME Church was packed with hundreds of people ready to do more than complain about new Florida laws they see as a dangerous assault on education, history, book choice, voting rights, gun safety, immigrants, Black people, gender identity and sexual orientation.

The event — part church service and part political rally — was spurred by the visit of a few dozen people traveling Florida as part of the "Stay Woke Rolling Votercade."

Speaker after speaker stepped up to the church lectern to sound the alarm on changes lawmakers in Tallahassee have made, and to light a fire under people to do something about it.

"Put your words and your actions into something that will bring back the Florida we love," said Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference of NAACP branches. "We are going on this bus to organize. We are here to inform you and wake you up."

In the spirit of the Freedom Riders who rode buses into segregated southern states in 1961, people from several different states have been riding three buses around Florida over the past week to push back what they believe is an erosion of basic rights, choices and protections.

Among those riding the buses are a few relatives of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot to death while jogging down a road in Georgia in February 2020. The three white men involved in the shotgun murder have all been convicted.

Daryl Jones, a criminal defense and civil litigation attorney from Washington, D.C., said people from different states have joined the bus tour "because they recognize the hate legislation coming out of Florida will spread" if no one fights back.

"We've come to stomp out the hate," Jones said.

'Keep justice moving forward'

Several local leaders also spoke during Friday's event inside the Midtown neighborhood church.

"Lord, we ask you to help fix a broken system," said the Rev. Victor Gooden, past president of the Daytona Beach Black Clergy Alliance. "With all we've gone through with injustice Lord, we need you to put it back together. We're here to keep justice moving forward so our citizenship is citizenship."

Also addressing the biracial crowd of both adults and children was third-term Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry.

"These are the roughest, darkest, most perilous, troublesome times of my lifetime," Henry said. "Not ever in a million years would I have thought we'd be where we are now."

Cynthia Slater, president of the Volusia County — Daytona Beach NAACP for more than 20 years, reminisced about going to Steak 'n Shake and Woolworths with her brothers and sisters 60 years ago to try to integrate those businesses.

"It is my hope when you leave this place you're energized," Slater said.

'Our children are counting on us'

One Black male speaker referred to some new Florida laws as "a cancer that's permeating our society of how they intend to deal with us as a people. They're trying to push us in a corner again."

He said the "cancer" is centered around the word woke, which began with an African American blues singer in the 1930s who used the word in a song to communicate how vigilant Blacks had to be in certain places and situations.

Several years ago, some white liberals adopted the word and used it to describe people who are very socially aware and concerned. Then some conservatives started portraying being woke as going too far with liberal beliefs.

A teacher who spoke Friday delved into restrictions in Florida on the way race-related concepts can be taught in the state's classrooms.

"Sweeping history under the rug is not OK," he said.

He said Black history is a part of U.S. history, and it traces back to the early 1600s.

"There's a lot to be angry about. Don't do it," he said. "Go at it with joy. Our children are counting on us to get it right."

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Attendees of Friday's church event were given signs that said "Stay Woke Florida, Vote!" Fliers were also handed out reminding people to register to vote, remain registered and then vote.

"Challenge us God to stay woke in the midst of everything going on," said the Rev. Nathan Mugala, pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church. "So much is happening in this state, but God, we look to you."

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New Florida laws impacting education, voting, guns have some concerned