By Shauna Shames
Motherhood language and symbolism have been part of every U.S. social movement, from the American Revolution to Prohibition and the fight against drunk drivers. Half of Americans are women, most become mothers, and many are conservative.
The U.S. is also a nation of organizing, so conservative moms – like all moms – often band together.
Lately, the mothers group dominating media attention is Moms for Liberty, self-described “joyful warriors … stok[ing] the fires of liberty” with the slogan “We Don’t Co-Parent with the Government.”
Others see them as well-organized, publicity-savvy anti-government conspiracists.
The rambunctious two-year-old group was founded in Brevard County, Florida, to resist COVID-19 mask mandates. It quickly expanded into the Southeast, now claiming 120,000 members in 285 chapters nationwide. Their mission is to “figh[t] for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”
By “parental rights” they mean limiting certain content in schools and having local councils and boards run only by “liberty-minded individuals” – which sounds like rhetoric from the American Revolution.
There’s historical precedent in this. Change the clothes and hairdos and these ladies could look like the conservative white women who opposed busing in 1970s Boston, supported McCarty anti-communism or blocked integration in Southern schools. Those women also formed mom-based groups to protest what they saw as government overreach into their families’ way of life.
But as a scholar of American politics with a focus on gender and race, I also see differences.
21st century conservatism
Moms for Liberty skillfully leverages social media, drawing on a population activated by the 2009-2010 rise of the Tea Party followed by the Trumpian MAGA movement. Mask mandates were the trigger for the group’s formation, but opposition to gender fluidity and queerness has become its bread and butter – more 21st century than 20th.
How racial equality is talked about animates its work also, in a distinctly new way. The conservative position on race and government’s role in the past century has pivoted from enforcement of segregation and hierarchy to a kind of social “laissez-faire” – hands off – position to match the Reaganite view that government is bad.
The extreme, hyper-male form of this anti-government, pro-traditional gender-roles ideology took shape as the Proud Boys, a number of whose leaders are now under indictment and sentence for their part in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. Moms for Liberty, while not going this far, shares similar beliefs and apparently has ties to the Proud Boys organization and leaders. They don’t march with guns, but their actions undermine and impede local government.
New kids in town making themselves heard
The group’s roots stretch back to a heated 2020 school board election in Brevard County. Incumbent school board member Tina Descovich, a local conservative activist mom, was challenged by progressive newcomer Jenifer Jenkins. When Jenkins won, the conservative board majority ended.
Having lost electorally, Descovich – and the corps of like-minded moms she now represents – began to shift the conversation from the outside. They joined with moms in many red states angered by what seemed fast-moving changes involving race, gender and sexuality, like the increasing numbers of people identifying as trans, queer or nonbinary, even at young ages, the vast changes in marital laws and family structure, and changing ideas about whiteness, inclusion and equity.
Moms for Liberty soon found success with disruptive tactics a VICE News investigation called a “pattern of harassment” of opponents that include online and in-person targeting of school board members, parents or even students who disagree with the group.
Members in many chapters generate ill will by turning up to school board and other meetings – sometimes to the homes of public officials or teachers – yelling insults like “pedophile” and “groomer” at opponents.
For a newcomer, Moms for Liberty has had real victories. It has disrupted countless meetings, forcing local governance bodies to focus on topics important to the group such as lifting mask mandates and, more recently, removing curricular content that they deem controversial, such as texts on gender identity and racial oppression.
The group’s success in getting talked about is perhaps its greatest strength so far, moving it from outside disruptor to political player, at least locally. It has successfully supported many local candidates and book bans.
Specific examples of banned books include “Push,” which inspired the award-winning movie “Precious,” and “Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl,” also made into a movie.
Disciplining members
Despite its many chapters, Moms for Liberty is untried nationally, its total membership is still relatively small, and Federal Election Commission filings show it raising and spending little money. The group lacks control over members, who have publicly embarrassed it. In one case, the Hamilton County, Indiana, chapter quoted Hitler in a newsletter – later apologizing.
At another point, an Arkansas member avoided criminal charges for saying, in a discussion about a librarian, “I’m telling you, if I had any mental issues, they would all be plowed down by a freaking gun right now.”
These incidents mark the group not only as green, but also as part of the new right wing. Republican-leaning groups used to take a top-down approach to setting agendas and managing people, while Democratic organizations historically cited democracy and equality as both tools and goals, even if it meant disorganization and failure.
In the traditional top-down Republican party of yesteryear, Moms for Liberty would likely be marginal. In today’s disorganized, divided, hyperpolarized GOP, it may do quite well – which is not good news for democracy.
Out of step, but useful
Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
Pro-mom language is sometimes, in the old idiom, the velvet glove hiding the iron fist.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks organized hate activity, labeled Moms for Liberty “extremist.” Its empirical evaluation concluded that the group’s chapters “reflect views and actions that are antigovernment and conspiracy propagandist.”
Moms for Liberty is ideologically out of step with the country and more anti-government than most Republicans. The majority of Americans are not in support of lifting mask mandates in the middle of a pandemic or banning books.
Among Republicans, there is disagreement over the teaching of controversial topics like racial justice, but book bans find low support. Despite the current bitter political climate, most in the U.S. appreciate government and want it to work.
Yet, some media refer to Moms for Liberty as a “power player” – and no wonder, when Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis show up to court the group. Moms for Liberty may be fringe, but its members could be of use to presidential hopefuls.
Why? The answer lies in some distinctly post-2010 electoral math. These days, only a quarter to a third of voters align with each major party, and less than a third of registered partisans turn out for primaries.
So a sixth of each party – a small fraction of the overall population – now selects the nominees. And that sixth is not representative – it is far more opinionated and angry. Moms for Liberty, having organized small, ideological voting armies in swing states, is in the envious position of representing a concentrated and potentially decisive voting bloc.
The mom rhetoric may be real, but as a political scientist, I can say confidently that the framers of the Constitution would not endorse this brand of liberty. Book bans are weapons of autocrats, and democracy ends where political figures call each other “pedophiles” in public.
Shauna Shames is Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University.
The Conversation arose out of deep-seated concerns for the fading quality of our public discourse and recognition of the vital role that academic experts could play in the public arena. Information has always been essential to democracy. It’s a societal good, like clean water. But many now find it difficult to put their trust in the media and experts who have spent years researching a topic. Instead, they listen to those who have the loudest voices. Those uninformed views are amplified by social media networks that reward those who spark outrage instead of insight or thoughtful discussion. The Conversation seeks to be part of the solution to this problem, to raise up the voices of true experts and to make their knowledge available to everyone. The Conversation publishes nightly at 9 p.m. on FlaglerLive.
Angela and others are fearful says
TThis is my response in the comment of the article:
The saddest truth is many of the Moms for Liberty think they areprotecting their children. Their children will someday about the history of Moms for Liberty and understand theirmoms are racist and fear spreading. They thought their moms wereloving community members and model citizens. Just like theGrandchildren of the people with the “T” flags, theirgrandchildren will understand their racist undertones better thanthose grandmothers ever tried to understand the REAL world outside ofspreading fear. Those Grandma will tell you they are NOT racist in a heartbeat and never take a moment to understand the reality behindthe message they are spreading.Just like the “Tsupporters, history will show the roots of the message these two loudspeakers have during this time in history. FL has welcomed the KKK somany times I do not understand why people do not realize thatextremists have the energy to continue their agenda and are ready toadapt their message so the people they recruit don’t even realize itis more like cult thinking than reality.The worst criminalsin history are good people doing nothing. We are living in theTechnological revolution and the EVIL forces where the goodpeople are still saying, the young people are lazy and you can’tbelieve anybody nowadays. That is because some of us allowed ourlocal news resources to be let go because we thought they were theproblem. Rather than have a conversation like supposed mature adultsthey would rather us die off who disagree.
Treeman says
Moms for Liberty is FIGHTING against the CCP’s plan to Destroy the American Education System! Very Important to monitor what your children are being taught in OUR local schools!
Nancy N. says
Why should they have any interest in destroying our education system when we do all the work and then they just steal all our tech and science from us? Our education system is working wonderfully for them!
Tony Mack says
The intent of these groups is clear: if their child can be denied reading a book because they believe it harmful — then ALL children should be denied the right to read that book. The are insidious ideologues who are determined to force their will, their beliefs on everyone else. Your opinions do not matter and they intend to steamroll over the public education system and vilify librarians and teachers as well. Soon, they not only will be banning books they dislike, but they will also be holding book BURNING bonfires — think Germany in the Thirties!
Recently “…A new report released Thursday by the free expression group PEN America warns that the Republican-led book banning movement is intensifying nationwide, with U.S. classrooms and libraries prohibiting more than 1,500 unique titles during the 2022-23 school year.
PEN recorded 3,362 total instances of book bans across the U.S., a 33% increase compared to the previous school year. More than 40% of all book bans in the U.S. in 2022-23 took place in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis—a GOP presidential candidate—has launched a massive assault on public education.
“Florida isn’t an anomaly—it’s providing a playbook for other states to follow suit,” said Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program and lead author of the new report. “Students have been using their voices for months in resisting coordinated efforts to suppress teaching and learning about certain stories, identities, and histories; it’s time we follow their lead.”
PEN noted that officials and outside groups pushing for book bans often deployed “hyperbolic and misleading rhetoric about ‘porn in schools’ and ‘sexually explicit,’ ‘harmful,’ and ‘age inappropriate’ materials led to the removal of thousands of books covering a range of topics and themes for young audiences.”
“Overwhelmingly, book bans target books on race or racism or featuring characters of color, as well as books with LGBTQ+ characters,” the group found. “This year, banned books also include books on physical abuse, health and well-being, and themes of grief and death. Notably, most instances of book bans affect young adult books, middle-grade books, chapter books, or picture books—books specifically written and selected for younger audiences.”
Suzanne Nossel, PEN America’s chief executive officer, said in a statement that “the toll of the book banning movement is getting worse.”
“More kids are losing access to books, more libraries are taking authors off the shelves, and opponents of free expression are pushing harder than ever to exert their power over students as a whole,” said Nossel. “Those who are bent on the suppression of stories and ideas are turning our schools into battlegrounds, compounding post-pandemic learning loss, driving teachers out of the classroom, and denying the joy of reading to our kids. By depriving a rising generation of the freedom to read, these bans are eating away at the foundations of our democracy.”
PEN’s report comes days after the American Library Association said that a record number of library books—1,915—have been challenged during the first eight months of this year.
As The Associated Pressreported earlier this week, “The most sweeping challenges often originate with such conservative organizations as Moms for Liberty, which has organized banning efforts nationwide and called for more parental control over books available to children.”
PEN noted that 80% of the U.S. school districts that banned at least one book during the 2022-23 school year “have a chapter or local affiliate nearby of one or more of the three most prominent national groups pushing for book bans—Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education.”
“These districts are where 86% (2,902) of book bans have occurred,” PEN found.
Author John Green—whose bestselling book “Looking for Alaska” was the third-most banned book in U.S. schools during the 2022-23 school year—said in a statement that “it’s disappointing to see such a steep rise in the banning and restriction of books.”
“We should trust our teachers and librarians to do their jobs,” said Green. “If you have a worldview that can be undone by a book, I would submit that the problem is not with the book.”
Hundreds of other authors, artists, celebrities, and activists signed an open letter earlier this week echoing that sentiment and urging “everyone to join us in pushing back against these book bans.”
“We cannot stress enough how these censorious efforts will not end with book bans,” the open letter states. “It’s only a matter of time before regressive, suppressive ideologues will shift their focus toward other forms of art and entertainment, to further their attacks and efforts to scapegoat marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks.”
“We refuse to remain silent as one creative field is subjected to oppressive bans,” the letter continues. “As artists, we must band together, because a threat to one form of art is a threat to us all.”
Michael Cocchiola says
I’m going for Anti-Government Conspiracists. Then I’d add in radical hate group, far right-wing nut jobs, and anti-Christian culture warriors.
Toto says
I wish this group would focus their attention on things that matter to all of America’s parents, guns. Go up against the NRA. Books never killed anyone but gun violence is the #1 killer of our children. Do something constructive, focus that energy where it matters and make a real difference. Although I’m not sure this group of lunatics is capable enough…..very sad.
Laurel says
Well, Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
You make a very good point.
Randy Bentwick says
This is nothing but a far-right group trying to impose their beliefs on everybody by disguising it with the “we must protect the children” lie.
What Else Is New says
So these extremists do not want to co-parent with the government. Perhaps this includes denying schools to follow county, state and national guidelines for learning. Bless their evil hearts.