At the Moms for Liberty Summit in Philadelphia, the weekend began with groups such as the Young Communist League and other left-wing extremists threatening the group and any venue where they met. They used vile names and made wild accusations. Prior to the event, they defaced displays and broke windows at the Museum for the American Revolution to coerce the museum to cancel the Moms for Liberty opening reception. They wrote bogus nasty online reviews of the Philadelphia Marriott where the convention was held. Even the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney denounced the group, " I want to be very clear that as a welcoming and inclusive city, we find this group's beliefs and values problematic." He then went on to name these beliefs as, " attempts to disregard history, ban books, and silence conversations about race, gender, and sexuality." Obviously, Jim Kenney didn't do his research but plagiarized his comments from the Young Communists.
Nothing he said was true or even remotely accurate. The group mainly focuses on parental rights and keeping pornography and indoctrination out of our nation's classrooms. Of course, Kenney also took his cue from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that has been discredited and sued multiple times for making erroneous damaging claims about other groups and public figures. The SPLC walked back their initial claims of Moms for Liberty being a "hate group" and reclassified them as "anti-government." By their standards, anyone who hates paying taxes or bristles at unfair laws could be called the same.
The fact that Southern Poverty Law Center claims caused many in the Moms of Liberty and other Conservative organizations to be targeted online, physically and economically should give pause to anyone who thinks the SPLC tactics are ethical or moral. They are in the business of suppressing free thought and free speech through deception.
Protesters were outside from Thursday on, screaming at the wall of the Marriott. No one could hear them inside except the complicit local and national media who gave the small group of protesters more attention than they deserved. Meanwhile, 650 attendees representing over 100,000 members of Moms for Liberty nationwide were in the Marriott attending sessions about speaking at school board meetings, running for office, changing legislation, protecting children from inappropriate sexual content and coercion in schools and many other topics. They heard from and interacted with five Presidential Candidates, one congressman, and four State Superintendents of Schools among others.
The protesters called Moms for Liberty racists, fascists, homophobes, transphobes, haters, extremists, bitches, hoes, cockroaches, Hitler, Nazis, inbred, liars, segregationists, witches, terrorists, liars, abusers, white supremacists, and any other horrific names they could think of. They drove bicycles in and out of traffic in front of the group's tour bus to delay travel and hosted "protest dance parties" that seemed more like drug fueled raves than anything else. They harassed some of the attendees and just about anybody who ventured outside the Marriott whether they belonged to the group or not.
Thankfully, there was plenty of security prepared ahead of time. Between the Philly police, Secret Service, and a private security firm, no one on either side was injured.
The sad thing is that these protesters, many of whom were bused in from other states and cities or paid to fly in from the West Coast, have no idea about who the members of Moms for Liberty are.
They are moms, dads, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, grandparents, friends, patriots, doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, principals, school board members, preachers, actors, singers, musicians, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, straight, gay, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, poor, rich, middle class, waiters, waitresses, politicians, kind, generous, God loving, and determined.
They call themselves "Joyful Warriors" and act accordingly. They were generous and kind to the hotel staff, police, and wait staff at events giving them thanks, standing ovations and extra tips for their service. When the conference ended, the staff lined up to cheer for the attendees and shake their hands. Doesn't seem like a hate group to me.
It's doubtful the protesters elicited that kind of reaction from anyone.
The protesters want Moms for Liberty to stop, to sit down, to shut up. They state this as their goal. They want them to allow the abuse and indoctrination of children. The protesters want Moms for Liberty to stop fighting for parental rights. They want members of the group to feel threatened and defeated by the nasty names.
It won’t happen.
Even as the conference ended, the extreme left continued to harass and dox members. Some of the members have received verbal and written threats and have had to contact law enforcement. People who attended the conference to infiltrate and get the "real story" have written diatribes condemning the group for "laughing off" the label of "terrorists" given to them by the DOJ. One author discussed how members "gossiped" and stated a belief in God. It seems Moms for Liberty didn't display the angry, hateful demeanor that Progressives practice daily and this upset them. There was no proof of blatant hatred for others among the attendees.
Moms for Liberty won't back down. They accept the anger, name calling and harassment as a sign that they are doing what is right. They have drawn a line in the sand over protecting parental rights and protecting children. Here is a statement from Kit, a member:
Once I catch my breath, I’ll be sharing pics of an incredibly inspiring and uplifting weekend I had at the M4L National Summit.
But before I do that, I wanted to share the reason why I’ve decided to wholeheartedly embrace this organization:
Our nation is at war. A war against the innocence of children, and the greatness of American ideals.
Our enemies seek to destroy. We seek to protect and build.
Throughout our stay, the Marriott was constantly surrounded by protesters: villains who yelled, cursed at, and threatened us. Their insults ranged from downright hilarious to frightening. But as James Lindsay said, “we’re in here having a joyful, dignified time, and they’re outside yelling at a building.”
The Marriott staff and the thousands of security guards couldn’t believe the vitriol we were encountering, and they courageously protected us and served us with love.
The opposition didn’t stop us and they never will. The future of America, and the preservation of innocence is worth it. We will win this war and I hope you will join us.
If that means they will be shouted at and called vulgar names, so be it. They will ignore that.
Moms for Liberty are fighting for their children and these protests clearly strengthened and energized them, despite the goals of the Young Communists or any other Marxist group.
Additional Note: From June 6-13, 2023- There was a 318% increase in Moms for Liberty Chapter Member Applications; From June 13-27, 2023-There was a 25% increase in Moms for Liberty Chapter Member Applications, From June 27-July 4 - Week of National Summit- There was a 357% increase in Chapter Member Applications.
Also, after the SPLC designation, Moms for Liberty has been increasing national members and newsletter subscribers by almost 300%. (Date from Moms for Liberty)
PHOTO: Moms for Liberty attendees thank those who worked the conference by giving two standing ovations to the wait staff at the Marriott Hotel in Philly.
The author, Jan Greenhawk, is the Chapter Chair for her local Moms for Liberty Chapter.
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
