Marching for Science across Florida

The March for Science events across Florida were awesome! I attended the Space Coast March and I was genuinely excited to see how many folks attended. From the front of the march I could look back and see the mass of chanting and sign-waving people stretching out for blocks behind us. This definitely wasn’t some minor protest with a handful of die-hards. This was, in fact, a movement. And that was just from my view in Titusville. The same big crowds were seen all across Florida and the country. Check out these two photos I took. I tried to capture the size of the march as best as I could. In the first photo you can obviously see the marchers in the foreground, but then also look in the distant background: more people!

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march2

Here’s a story about the Space Coast March: Hundreds in Titusville march for science

“We think it is extremely important for all children to realize that science is a way of life, not just part of life. I hope this event reminds Brevard County of our roots. We are the Space Coast after all. We should all celebrate and appreciate the diversity that NASA has brought to this area and how fortunate we are to have rocket launches in our back yard.”

And here are more stories about Florida marches:

Orlando joins world in March for Science on Earth Day

“Science is inherently apolitical. There are facts, and then you make decisions based on those facts,” Emerson, 31, said.

“Science isn’t about one side being good and one side being bad. Science is about one side being right and one side being wrong,” he added.

‘Science not silence’: Hundreds of mad scientists descend on downtown Miami

Organizers said that it was more than the actions of the current administration that drove them to the streets. Protesters, like retired marine scientist Susan Markley, expressed concern over a societal shift away from science.

“I’m particularly upset that there’s a contempt for science now,” Markley said. “There’s a rejection. It’s described as an elitist approach when that’s not what it is at all.”

[Tallahassee] March for Science draws thousands, calls for education

“Science matters.”

“Science matters.”

It was the rallying cry for more than 4,000 people who attended Saturday’s March for Science in Tallahassee.

People held signs saying, “Science will not be silenced” and “The truth has no party affiliation.” They came from as far away as Fort Lauderdale and were as young as a few months old. But they all held the same belief.

Scientific integrity is important.

[Gainesville] Saturday’s March for Science draws nearly 1,000 protestors

“We’re out here because we have to be,” said Candace Biggerstaff, the assistant manager general of the chemistry lab at UF. “Before, we didn’t have to be political because science wasn’t being actively stomped on. Now this attack is forcing us to get out of our house and march down the street on a hot day in Florida. I hope the kids don’t forget this moment. I hope we continue to fight.”

We here at Florida Citizens say THANK YOU for supporting science. But don’t stop with one day of marching. Keep on marching!

 

About Brandon Haught

Communications Director for Florida Citizens for Science.
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