Letters spell out FAMU in the Capitol courtyard during FAMU Day in Tallahassee. | Adrian Andrews, WFSU Public Media
Published on May 23, 2025 at 10:42 am
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Some members of the Florida A&M University community say they’re planning strategies — including economic boycotts — to express their frustration about the selection of Marva Johnson as FAMU’s 13th president.
FAMU students, faculty and community members have concerns about Johnson’s lack of experience in education and her connections with Republican politicians.
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During a Zoom call with about 1,000 participants, Chekesha Kidd said one way to make their feelings known is through economic boycotts.
“We’re launching a targeted boycott of economic trustee-affiliated businesses, specifically all of the McDonald’s franchises — all 21 — owned by our brand-new, shiny trustee Rafael Vazquez, who joined less than 24 hours before he voted last Friday,” Kidd said. “And we want your feedback on ways we can explore additional ways to demonstrate our economic power and impact.”
Kidd says the plan could include boycotts at the university and the withholding of economic activity around Homecoming, which she says is estimated to provide more than $10 million in economic stimulus to Tallahassee in just one weekend.
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“This isn’t about destroying FAMU,” she said. “This is about leveraging our economic strength to demand better leadership and better governance. We have some asks in terms of what we’re looking for out of this. This is not to boycott for boycott’s sake. And we’re going to try to reinvest in students while we conduct these peaceful protests.”
Organizers are calling for people to travel to Boca Raton next month when the State University System’s Board of Governors will vote on whether to officially confirm Johnson as the school’s next president.
