The Florida A&M University community has every right to be upset at the appointment of Marva Johnson as university president

Marva Johnson is set to become FAMU's 13th president, despite strong backlash and criticism from students and alumni.

Marva Johnson is a known ally to Republican Gov. Ron Desantis, so her becoming president of an HBCU has folks pissed.

People who love Florida A&M have fallen along a spectrum of emotions regarding the selection process and the person chosen to lead the campus.

The HBCU’s alumni, faculty, and students say the search process was politically compromised by the Republican governor’s administration.

Critics decry the selection process as politically motivated, citing Johnson's lack of higher education credentials and close ties to governor DeSantis and his anti-DEI policies.

Some have accepted that Johnson will be FAMU’s next leader. Others plan to “get moving” instead of “getting mad.”

Florida’s only public historic Black university is turning to an ally of top Republicans to lead the institution despite an overwhelming outcry from alumni, who questioned the decision to pick someone with no ties to the school or higher education experience.

FAMU alums organize under a group called “Keepers of the Flame” to thwart the confirmation of MAGA loyalist selected as HBCU president.