Dream Defenders was founded after a group of activists marched from Daytona to Sanford, Florida, in order to protest Trayvon Martin's death and the failure to arrest his killer George Zimmerman.
Gabriel Pendas and Phillip Agnew knew each other from activist work at Florida A&M University and came together to plan an event.
In July 2013, Dream Defenders occupied the Florida State Capitol building for 31 days.
[4] A member of the organization, Dr. Armen Henderson, was arrested while preparing to help provide free COVID-19 testing to homeless populations.
[5] In 2022, Dream Defenders and a coalition of Miami-based nonprofits helped start a free urgent care clinic in Miami, Florida, as part of the city's Healing and Justice Center focused on providing direct service outside of the policing and prison systems.