Orlando, FL – On March 8, the Orlando district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) held a spoken word and trivia fundraiser to commemorate International Women’s Day and gather the Orlando community in the face of recent attacks on women. The slogans raised at the event were “Defend Women’s and Reproductive Rights,” “Stand with the Women of Palestine” and “Stop the Deportations! Keep Families Together.”

Cassia Laham, member of FRSO Orlando, kicked off the event by explaining the history of International Women’s Day and the current situation of women stating, “Today, women of all sectors of society face renewed attacks by the forces of reaction, with Trump and his cabinet full of abusers and women-haters leading the charge against our rights.” She continued, “Just as we fought before, we will fight again!”

Other speakers focused on varied topics. Rasha Mubarak of Florida Palestine Network spoke of the struggle of Palestinian women, and two teenage organizers with the Farmworkers Association of Florida discussed the impact of deportations on their community. Chants of “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” rang throughout the building.

Vanessa Christaldi of the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society read a poem focused on the ownership of one’s body and the inspiration of women resistance fighters. “What is the right way to have a body? And more importantly, what is the right way to assert that I am more than that?” She ended her poem with an acknowledgment that all of the rights women have today, both domestically and internationally are won through struggle, not simply given.

After the speeches, an International Women’s Day-themed trivia, hosted by Sarah of Feisty Trivia, was held with proceeds going to the Palestinian Motherhood Society. The Florida Palestine Network sold tatreez with proceeds also going to the Palestinian Motherhood Society. The total fundraised was announced as $920, with cheers from the audience.

The co-sponsoring organizations were the Florida Palestine Network (FPN), the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UCFSDS), The End to Genocide Coalition (ETGC), The Farmworkers Association of Florida (FWAF), and the Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC). The trivia was led by Sarah of Feisty Trivia, Orlando's Only Female-Owned Trivia Company. The event was a broad multi-generational event filled with community members and organizers commemorating International Women’s Day.

#OrlandoFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #FPN #FRSO #ETGC #PFC

Kissimmee, FL – On Saturday, December 30, around 250 protesters gathered near downtown Kissimmee to demand an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza, which has killed over 20,000 Palestinians, and its 75 years of occupation and ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

The protest was organized by Florida Palestine Network (FPN). The rally started with speeches from FPN and other community members calling for a ceasefire, the end of U.S. aid to Israel, and a free Palestine.

The group then marched around downtown Kissimmee, with chants of “Gaza, Gaza, don’t you cry! Palestine will never die!” and “Not a nickel, not a dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”

They were accompanied by digital billboard trucks displaying statistics of the toll of Israel’s siege on Gaza and were met with honks of support from motorists.

The march showed that the movement will not be distracted by the holiday season and continues to unite people in the fight for liberation into the new year.

One of the speakers, Corrine Daly, said, “We see countless mothers crying for their children who have been hit by airstrikes, I can’t do anything but continue to show up. I encourage every single person who is ever on the line about showing up, whether that be in their job, in their communities, with their families. stand firm. Stand and know that you are on the right side of history, free, free Palestine!”

#KissimmeeFL #International #Palestine #AntiWar #FPN