WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A "Stay Woke" bus tour is traveling throughout Florida, making a Thursday stop in West Palm Beach.
"Democracy as a whole is being trampled in the state of Florida," Lynne Hubbard with the NAACP said.
The bus is part of a statewide voter registration initiative encouraging people to "vote woke." It stopped at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church where there was chanting, banners and advocates.
"Woke for me is being aware, understanding what's happening in your life, in your community, knowing when they pass this law or that law and how it affects you," Hubbard said.
Hubbard said they're in protest of laws impacting women's rights, LGBTQ+ community and book bans happening in Florida.
The event is a collaboration between the Transformative Justice Coalition, Florida NAACP, Black Voters Matter, Rainbow Push Coalition, and other partners.
"I'm donating about 40 books today. One of the first books we are giving a donation to is, 'My Two Moms and Me,'" Pranoo Kumar, the owner of Rohi's Readery, a social justice-driven children's bookstore and learning center in the Square in downtown West Palm Beach, said.
Kumar said some of the books she's donating have been removed from schools and will be given to families throughout the tour.
"It's really exciting to see that we're getting these books out into the community one way or another," Kumar said. "We're making sure that we're providing a starting point no matter where you are."
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been outspoken about so-called "woke culture."
"We will never ever surrender to the woke mob," DeSantis said during a news conference in March. "Our state is where woke goes to die."
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis commented Thursday on the "Stay Woke" bus tour.
"Gov. DeSantis, myself, Attorney General [Ashley] Moody, we all won by over 20 points last election cycle, the largest margin in the history of a statewide election," Patronis said. "I don't think we would've had that type of support by the Florida electorate if we weren't playing by the policies and plans that they approve of by the leadership that they currently have in Tallahassee."
He said Republicans have nearly 500,000 more registered voters than Democrats in Florida.
"I think this is a desperation attempt of the Democratic Party," Patronis said. "If that's what they want to do, good for them. I think that is a strategy for a losing recipe."
The bus tour is hitting 15 different cities in 5 days.
They head out Friday morning to Mims, Daytona Beach and then to St. Augustine.
"It just doesn't play well in Florida. I think they're better off taking it up to New Jersey or New York," Patronis said. "It'll be welcome there all day long."
