Hours after Rick Scott is scheduled to address the Legislature and the citizenry in his annual State of the State address, a slightly different agenda will be presented when the Dream Defenders, a student-run civil rights organization, hosts a rally in Tallahassee.
Formed less than a year ago in the wake of the collective outrage emanating from the death of Trayvon Martin, members of the Dream Defenders describe themselves "as an organization directed by black and brown youth, who confront systemic inequality by building our collective power."
Twenty-one-year-old Tampa resident Alekos Zambrano is speaking about Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law at the Dream Defenders' "TRUE State of the State Address." Issues about the 2005 Florida law came to the forefront after Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in February of 2012. Though the law may or may not be used as a defense for Zimmerman, it's believed to have been factor in why Sanford, Fla., police did not immediately arrest Zimmerman last year.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2013.