A crowd of activists congregated Monday evening at the Andre-Fladell Civic Center in Delray Beach, Fla., to hear from panelists at Indivisible Boca Raton’s “Women Leading the Resistance,” a Q&A styled forum discussing democracy in America.
Indivisible Boca Raton is a part of the national Indivisible movement to defend democracy through activism, with 2,000 chapters in all 50 states. “Our chapter focuses on turning concern into action through peaceful protest, civic engagement, education, and coalition-building,” according to the organization’s website.
Panelists for the event included FAU professors Karen Leader, Carey Haughwout, and student May Diamond Rojas. FAU Democrats President Nicholas Ostheimer moderated the conversation. The three took turns answering Ostheimer’s questions about freedom of speech, ICE enforcement, and navigating the world as a woman.
A large part of the conversation focused on academia and freedom of speech in higher education.
Ostheimer voiced to the panelists, “Rhetoric that we hear from the right, or from wherever, predictably leads to harassment, threats, or violence, and institutions, often institutions that you depend on or that employ you, respond by staying quiet.”
He asked, “Why is silence so dangerous at a time like this?”
Leader responded by saying that it is the anatomy of “stochastic terrorism,” or when influential individuals may “attack” or target groups and individuals, inspiring someone to partake in violence against them, and Leader says that silence is why it works.
“The majority of people in those institutional levels who can make the choice to speak against people in power or just shut up, the No. 1 reason isn’t ‘well I’m afraid I’ll lose my job,’ or I’m afraid I will be the target of violence,’ it is literally health insurance.”
She further explained that the fear of losing your job, and therefore your health insurance, is just one illness away from “destitution.”
Leader was among the first of three professors the university placed on administrative leave over social media comments about the late Charlie Kirk. FAU has since reinstated Leader, and she has resumed teaching at the university.
Leader explains that after her reinstatement, campus culture had changed for her, “Coming back on campus, I know that something is different.”
There was a lot of discussion over the 287(g) agreement and the Florida Atlantic Police Department’s collaboration with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “If the public rose up and resisted it and let our administration know how wrong it is, we might be able to shame them into ending that agreement,” said Leader.
She claims that much of the distrust toward FAUPD within the FAU community stems from a lack of communication and transparency regarding its immigration enforcement operations.
“Free speech is one of what we’re talking about here, and the First Amendment, free press, freedom of expression, freedom from state religion, freedom to express your grievances to the government, all of that is the cornerstone, but the point I want to make is that as long as other strategies are used by bad faith actors, free speech is meaningless,” said Leader.
Shortly after, the conversation shifted to the affordability crisis, which is a growing concern among young people. Young Americans feel like no matter what, being able to afford a house in the future feels hopeless due to the rising cost of living.
Ostheimer asked the panelists, “How does financial insecurity affect who can participate in leadership, service, or democracy in the first place, and who gets pushed out because they can’t afford the risk of spending so much of their time?”
Rojas answered that, sharing that even while working three jobs, she is still living paycheck to paycheck.
“And while we fight meaningless culture wars, I wonder if I’ll ever be able to afford a house … if I’ll ever have the time to be a full-time student and work a full-time job,” Rojas said.
Rojas is the newest candidate running for Boca Campus Governor with the Sunshine Party at FAU, alongside Ostheimer.
This conversation segued into her initiatives on student cost of living if elected governor. “As a Boca Raton campus governor, we have access to, I believe, five or six million dollars. That’s no short amount of money. And hopefully, I’d like to implement housing scholarships for our students.” Rojas also discussed her ideas of housing stipends alongside meal vouchers and complimentary printing services.
Haughwout is an adjunct professor in the criminal justice department at FAU this semester, with a long history as a public defender, a background in criminal defense, and a longtime advocate for civil liberties, due process, and accountability in policing.
Haughwout appreciated the age diversity the event brought in and urged FAU students to have confidence in their rights and in the Constitution.
“Have confidence that the constitution will serve, but don’t back down when it’s threatened,” said Haughwout.
Ana Alvez saw the event through the FAU Democrats’ speech. She was recently hired as the regional field organizer for the South Florida Democratic Party and believes she will bring many of the topics discussed at the panel, specifically young voter registration and activism, back to her organization.
Jamelia Miller is heading into her freshman year at FAU next semester. Miller said she initially did not want to stay in Florida for her college education due to the state’s political climate, but she was inspired by the event and by seeing people her age fight for what they believe in.
Ostheimer appreciated the attendance of those from the FAU community at the event.
“FAU is kind of the focal point for anti fascism in Boca Raton. It’s the perfect combination of state, local, and federal influence. So it’s great to see that people care about FAU,” said Ostheimer.
The event ended as Leader led the crowd in a chant of “We are Stronger Together,” with audience members joining in.
Ava Hilton is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or direct message Hilton on Instagram @a.vahilton10.
