Want to receive the Alliance for Student Liberty newsletter every other week? Sign up here.
It’s no secret that the culture wars are taking a toll on our nation’s children. Book bans, attacks on LGBTQ+ kids, the criminalization of history, continued attempts to privatize public schools, and other challenges endanger their education and, in some cases, their very being.
All of this is being done in the name of “liberty.” Certain extremist groups have misappropriated this word, which throughout American history has signified freedom from oppressive forces, to cudgel our children with their own political, moral and other world views.
What’s clear is that the groups shouting the loudest represent the fewest.
The Alliance for Student Liberty aims to reclaim this word by bringing together the voices of the U.S. majority, who are defending our nation’s children against these attacks. Powered by First Focus on Children, this biweekly newsletter will spotlight the reality-based work of parents, students, educators, politicians, partners and fellow advocates who believe that children should be free to flourish.
Extremist minority groups endanger our children’s freedom to express themselves and to receive an accurate depiction of history. Florida-based Moms for Liberty, a group fueling many of these problematic efforts, claims ‘parental rights’ as a façade to discriminate against LGBTQ+ students, violate freedom of expression through book bans, and erase our nation’s history by outlawing classroom instruction that discusses race. The group presents itself as a small grassroots organization funded by t-shirt sales, but the fact is that high-profile right-wing politicians and donors direct its agenda. Look no further than their recent conference, where speakers included Republican dog whistle blowers Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, the group has been identified as an extremist far-right organization and has been caught quoting Hitler, having ties to the Proud Boys, and arguing that LGBTQ+ students should be placed in separate classrooms. And they are likely to play a large role in selecting the 2024 Republican candidate for president.
The Children Fight Back (and win!)
Florida: Students in Florida organized several protests objecting to recent education policies within the state. These protests were so successful that high schoolers and college students across the state participated and caught the attention of CNN, USA Today, CBS News, the National Review, and other major news networks. A group that organized some of the protests, called “Walkout 2 Learn,” emphasizes that they had lawyers and politicians prepared to support their students if anyone were to get in trouble from participating. After registering for the protest, students signed a pledge to defend the rights of students, listened to a banned history lesson, and had access to a college-level African American History course.
Texas: In Texas, students are fighting back to distribute banned books and ensure that all identities can be represented in the books they read. Many students are forming book clubs to read banned books and learn about experiences from those with various racial and sexual identities. Groups have distributed hundreds of banned books free of charge, with assistance from political advocacy organizations and publishers. Students are also encouraging one another to attend school board meetings to advocate against the book bans. In one case, “New Kid,” which discusses being Black at a predominately white school, was returned to the shelves after being removed.
Events & Resources for Action
Red, Wine, and Blue a group advocating against far-right extremism in education, has compiled a toolkit called the “Parent Playbook.” This resource contains information on how to organize a group within your community, social media messaging, and speaking out at school board meetings. Red, Wine, and Blue, holds frequent virtual and community events. This Thursday, July 27th, the group will host a virtual event on how to effectively discuss tough topics in order to defeat extremism within our own communities.
Unite Against Book Bans, an initiative of the American Library Association, is working to fight censorship in America’s schools. The group has created a toolkit for fighting book bans that includes talking points, social media tools, grassroots organizing information, and more. Unite Against Books Bans has held several successful events, such as the Rally for the Right to Read and their inaugural Right to Read Day.
School Board School equips public education advocates with the tools and knowledge to create change within their local school boards. They have several advocacy tools, including resources on finding information about local school boards, including who their members are, when they meet, and how to get involved.