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 the school'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.
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."
Vazquez was nominated to fill the trustee position vacated by Earnie Ellison, who was forced to resign May 5 after suggesting the school suspend the presidential search to address community concerns. He is the owner of J.V. & Sons, which operates the fast-food franchises in Tallahassee.
Kidd says the plan could also 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 one weekend.
"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 confirm Johnson hiring.
FAMU's board of trustees voted May 16 to hire Johnson, an executive for the telecoms company Charter Communications and a former member of the state Board of Education who has touted her experience climbing the corporate ladder and navigating the Legislature.
She had previously been selected for various state boards by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his predecessor, Sen. Rick Scott.
Her hiring came at the end of a contentious process that critics argued lacked transparency and was tainted by political influence.
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