Moms for… What?
On Monday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that a pastor who serves as the coordinator of faith-based outreach for Philadelphia’s Moms for Liberty chapter, pastor Phillip Fisher Jr., is a registered sex offender, convicted in 2012 of aggravated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy in Chicago. Fisher pleaded guilty to 12 counts filed against him.
Let’s Talk About Moms for Liberty
Moms for Liberty, the conservative group created in 2021 to oppose Covid-19 mask and vaccine mandates in schools, has been slowly showing its true colors, but this week has really taken the cake.
The group’s website is intentionally vague, talking about “key issues impacting our families” without listing them, promoting government accountability and opposing “government overreach and intimidation tactics.” In particular, they promote engaging “liberty-minded leaders” to run for office.
Moms for Liberty is organized as a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. Unlike a 501(c)3 (charity) or a 501(c)6 (membership organization), c4’s are civic organizations, or organizations promoting social welfare – usually an HOA or local employee association.
Parents and elected officials are encouraged to sign a pledge on their website that reads:
“I pledge to honor the fundamental rights of parents including, but not limited to the right to direct the education, medical care, and moral upbringing of their children. I pledge to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government.”
The group also operates Moms for Liberty PAC (Political Action Committee), which directly supports right-wing candidates.
On the PAC’s website, the first thing you read is “Parents have the natural right to direct the upbringing of their children.”
The site is similarly vague, but repeatedly references transparency, parental rights, and liberty.
A “Moms for Liberty Foundation” website exists with a mission “to Enrich, Educate & Empower Parents, Policy Makers & the Public on issues impacting the future of America.” The website says the foundation is affiliated with Moms for Liberty, but does not claim any IRS nonprofit status. It also says that Moms for Liberty has hundreds of chapters “in all 42 states.”
The foundation has a pretty empty website (the blog has zero posts), and seems to be there only to promote conservative book publishers, specifically titles like “Elephants Are Not Birds,” and “Little Lives Matter.” The foundation works to place these books in schools.
A Brief History Lesson
In 1852, the Compulsory Education Act was passed, requiring all children between 8 and 14 years old to attend at least three months of school each year. 55 percent of children aged 5-14 were enrolled in schools in 1830, but by 1870 78 percent were.
The 1944 Education Act expanded this, guaranteeing a free education to all children through the age of 15. Per Census data, just 14 percent of Americans 25 and older had completed High School in 1910. By 1970 this number was 55 percent, and today over 90 percent of adults have high school degrees.
Today, all 50 states have compulsory education laws, though attendance and age ranges vary (for instance the range is 7-17 in Alabama, but 6-18 in California).
It is illegal in the United States not to ensure your child is educated to minimum standards, whether at a free public school, accredited private school, or approved home-school curriculum.
What Does Moms for Liberty Stand For?
Well, a few things may tip you off on their website, but let me complete the picture.
As the pandemic evolved into an endemic, and vaccines were widespread enough that partial herd immunity allowed most of us to shed masks, the group began to evolve as well.
First, they railed against “Critical Race Theory” (CRT), which they incorrectly claim rejects the civil rights movement and promotes that “everything in America is racist.” A “Combatting Critical Race Theory in Your Community” guide has since been taken down from the group’s main website, though their chapter websites continue to bash CRT with a variety of “anti-woke” sources of disinformation.
The group’s current focus is aggressively opposing anything related to DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. This largely manifests as anti-LGBTQ+ and, in particular, anti-Trans activism.
The group continues to spread disinformation about CRT, DE&I, and LGBTQ+ issues. They incite conservatives into hostile takeovers of school board meetings and a general demonization of faculty members, politicians, or members of the community that aren’t fully on board with their agenda.
Anybody that isn’t on their side is “indoctrinating” students (though that word simply means “teach”)
The group is a large force behind anti-LGBTQ+ activism in schools as well, encouraging parents to protest any book that speaks directly to students with queer identities, demand “transparency” (which really means passing mandates requiring faculty to “out” students to their parents), and force Trans students out of sports programs.
Moms for Liberty PAC has backed hundreds of school board members across the country. In the election earlier this month, 70 percent were rejected by voters.
The Bottom Line
If Moms for Liberty actually cared about the wellbeing of children, wouldn’t they run extensive background checks on anybody doing work with the organization?
