My Solidarity with the New College of Florida Grads

Students from the much-maligned target of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hateful rage, the New College of Florida, held their graduation last night. New College is a remarkable place that encourages free thinking, uncensored creativity, a critical look at our history and our present, and a rollicking time to embrace life, joy and the liberation of being different, of being yourself. 

Of course DeSantis would be revolted by a place like this. He made the college Public Enemy Number One, the repository of all that any garden variety bigot and misogynist would want to crush. His first move — he fired 6 of the 13 board members and replaced them with his lackeys. Then, as Politico reported:

“One of board’s initial moves was ousting the school’s president and replacing her with former Republican House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is earning a $699,000 annual salary. Since then, the DeSantis trustees have dismantled diversity, equity and inclusion programs at New College, denied tenure to five faculty members, a move that spurred one trustee — the faculty representative — to quit the board on the spot and later resign as a professor. Then they fired the school librarian.”

He even wrecked their official graduation, picked a Trump flunky to give the graduation address and signed his “anti-woke” bill there on the campus this week, just to rub it in. 

I was asked if I would like to say a few words as part of their graduation. Due to my current work, I couldn't make it down there, but I could send them a short video if they’d like that, as a show of my solidarity with them. 

I thought some of you might also like it, and perhaps would like to participate vicariously in the students’ weekend, so here it is. Enjoy. And let’s follow these amazing young adults’ lead in the fight against ignorance, hate and the fascist interference of a free society. 

— Michael Moore 

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Photo by: Rebecca Blackwell / AP

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