Draft:Cameron Driggers



Cameron Driggers (Born 2004) is an American political activist and social entrepreneur currently serving as the executive director and founder of Youth Action Fund. An advocate for progressive politics, Driggers has been a student organizer within the state of Florida, where he took a part in leading demonstrations such as the 2022 school walkouts in response to the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act. Driggers also publishes political commentary from outlets such as The Advocate and The Washington Blade.

Personal Life
Driggers attended Rymfire Elementary School, Indian Trails Middle School, and Flagler Palm Coast High School.

Driggers is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Florida.

School Walkouts
In protest of the Parental Rights In Education Act, often referred to by critics as the "Don't Say Gay Bill", Driggers worked with lead organizer Jack Petocz to organize a state-wide walkout of students at both high schools and colleges. Thousands of students participated in the walkout. At their own high school, Flagler Palm Coast, over five-hundred students participated. The school administration retaliated by suspending Petocz indefinitely. Following Petocz's suspension, Driggers organized a petition drive to demand his friend's reinstatement, which collected over 7,500 signatures. Furthermore, Driggers also organized a consecutive protest outside of Flagler Palm-Coast High School with the help of a LGBTQ+ Veterans group which featured "Section 93 of the Key West Sea to Sea Flag, a flag once reputed to be the longest on the planet–1.25 miles".

School Board Protests and Campaigns
Driggers' school district in Flagler County, Florida, faced national backlash after a sitting school board member filed a police report on district employees over the inclusion of certain pieces of literature within school libraries. The premise of the police report was that the literature in question, of which the content was primarily centered on LGBTQ+ experiences and other social issues, was too inappropriate for students. In response, Driggers helped execute a protest at the grounds of his school board which involved distributing the books in contention. During the demonstration, student protestors clashed with followers of a far-right militia group known as the Three Percenters.

In following months, Driggers led a student-led campaign to replace incumbent school board members endorsed by Governor Ron Desantis. Driggers, alongside his volunteers, engaged in a months-long endeavor to elect LGBTQ+ allies in their place through grassroots campaigning. Driggers' initiative garnered national coverage after both of its endorsed candidates prevailed on the August primary, with one winning outright and another advancing to the general election.

"Walkout 2 Learn"
Driggers worked alongside fellow LGBTQ+ activist Zander Moricz to organize a state-wide school walkout on April 24th, 2023. The walkout included participants at over 300 high schools within Florida. Driggers also spoke at a subsequent rally at Orlando City Hall following the walkout alongside State Representative Anna Eskamani, Jack Petocz and others.

Sit-In At Speaker McCarthy's Office
On September 28th, 2023, Driggers participated in a sit-in alongside seventeen other youths affiliated with the Sunrise Movement inside the office of former Speaker of The House Kevin McCarthy in protest of. Driggers was ultimately arrested by Capitol Police after refusing to disperse. The demonstration was conducted in response to the threat of a government shutdown posed by fiscal disagreements between Speaker McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Founding Youth Action Fund
Driggers founded a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called Youth Action Fund in late 2023. He was joined in this endeavor by fellow Gen-Z activists Jack Petocz, Will Larkins and Maxx Fenning.

Youth Action Fund's stated purpose is to financially and strategically support young activists in Florida through micro-grants and free advising services. The organization also conducts its own political actions across the state.

Driggers claims that his organization invests in the grassroots organizing of young Floridians that have been neglected by the established non-profits in the state.

Child Labor Advocacy
On January 16th, 2024 Driggers led a group of students affiliated with Youth Action Fund to occupy the Florida State Capitol Office of Representative Linda Chaney, who had faced national backlash for authoring HB-49, legislation that would significantly reduce child labor protections in the State of Florida. Driggers demanded that Chaney meet with young workers and withdraw the legislation. The effort failed, as HB-49 later passed through committee and was adopted by the Florida House of Representatives on February 1st.

DMV Die-Ins
On February 9th, 2024 Driggers took a leading role in conducting a coordinated Die-In at Department of Motor Vehicle offices in major cities across Florida, including Miami, Gainesville, Orlando and Tampa. The demonstrations were in response to a leaked memo authored by Deputy Executive Director of the Florida DMV that informed County Tax Collectors of a policy change which would prevent Transgender Floridians from changing the gender marker on their state-issued drivers licenses.

Climate Activism
Driggers is a proponent of action on climate change within Florida. On January 24, 2024 Driggers co-hosted a large assembly of youth at the Florida State Capitol to lobby legislators for more environmentally cautious policies.

Driggers has similarly led a coalition of student organizations at the University of Florida, aimed at passing a resolution calling for a campus-wide Green New Deal through its elected student government. Driggers co-authored the five-volume resolution, which mandates adoption of the "Climate Action Plan 2.0", greater transparency, divestment from fossil fuels, a pledge for clean research, and a call for a just transition. It was adopted unanimously by the Student Senate on February 21.

This resolution by UF's Student Government is so far the first and only of any public university in the United States. Across the five volumes, there was over 30 establishing details clauses and nearly 25 specific demands. The resolutions demands will be brought to the university's Board of Trustees for further enactment.

Palestine Encampments

Driggers was an organizer of a prolonged encampment at the University of Florida as a part of the national wave of Pro-Palestine protests that took place on college campuses. Driggers, in a joint letter issued by seven Florida and national free-speech organizations, criticized the leadership of UF and other public universities within Florida who authorized force to disperse student protestors.

Community Service Projects and Other Accolades
As a youth, Driggers took part in creating several community service projects. These include: a project to support newly enrolled students throughout the school year and a project to curtail food waste. During the latter, Driggers lobbied the Flagler Beach City Commission to take action on waste.

In November 2022, Driggers' two-person team won first place in the second annual Mednexus Innovation Challenge hosted by the University of North Florida.