Senate hopeful Angie Nixon defends displaying Assata Shakur portrait in Jacksonville cafe
Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon said her Jacksonville coffee shop and bookstore, Cafe Resistance, showcases portraits of figures like Assata Shakur, whom she calls civil-rights leaders.
Angie Nixon, a Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is campaigning for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat opposite Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. She founded Cafe Resistance in Jacksonville, describing it as a black-owned bookstore and coffee shop that offers a haven for community organizing and learning about “true black history.” The walls display portraits of figures such as Assata Shakur and Angela Davis, whom Nixon labels civil-rights leaders despite their criminal convictions.
When a supporter of Moody interrupted a press briefing at the cafe, Nixon claimed the opponent had sent a “heckler” to disparage the artwork. She maintains the images are meant to teach a messy, often suppressed past and to build political power, even though the business is not profitable and she funds it herself.
Why it matters
The controversy highlights how historical narratives become flashpoints in a high-profile Senate race.
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