Happy Fathers Day Activists! We hope you're having a good weekend! We have a quick update for this coming Thursday's meeting, with information about our second speaker and about the June 30 Rally For The Freedom To Read. This past Thursday's newsletter is copied below for all the info, with the addition of our second important speaker and more detail on the rally. We're pretty sure you have heard about book bans that MAGA Republicans are enacting all over the country. And you probably know about threats to the LGBTQ+ community, to the Black community and to other marginalized groups. You probably know about MAGA extremists trying to erase our history. But do you know about one of the groups behind many of these actions? They are called Moms For Liberty. They are the darlings of the media in MAGA world and of other extremist groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center has named them an anti-government extremist group, for good reason. They are trying to disassemble public schools around the country and are demonizing marginalized communities to get it done. And finally, you may think that Philadelphia and surrounding progressive areas are safe from these extremist policies. But we are not. This group has organized effectively in our neighbor, Bucks County - and they are not stopping there. The good thing is that we know what to do to combat this very troubling trend. First we learn about it and then we take action that meets the moment. So to that end we are scheduling a meeting that will help all of us learn more about this group and about what we can do to combat it on multiple fronts. See below!
THURSDAY'S MEETING -- LEARN ABOUT MOMS FOR LIBERTY AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO STOP THEM Come to this meeting to learn about what's happening in our area and what we can do about it! We will learn all about this group and its effect on parents, students, and teachers from people who have been deep in the fight to raise the alarm and push them out of their communities. One of our speakers will be Cyril Mychalejko, the Editor-in-Chief of the Bucks County Beacon, a progressive independent media outlet. The Beacon has been covering the school board wars in the area and across Pennsylvania. Cyril will give us the history of this group, how they have organized in Bucks County, and the effect of their extremist ideologies in two affected school districts. Our second speaker will be Dr. Anusha Viswanathan, a parent in the Central Bucks School District. She has testified at school board meetings and will tell us what it's like to live with this right-wing group holding sway over what students read and their ultra conservative views of what and how schools should teach. When: Thursday, June 22 at 6:30 pm Where - On zoom (Link in confirmation email.) Sign up here.
UPDATE -- RALLY FOR THE FREEDOM TO READ Friday, June 30 at Noon As you will hear at our June 22nd meeting, Moms for Liberty is holding their annual convention here in Philadelphia from June 29 - July 2. The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that they plan to protest at various branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia, including the Central Branch on Vine Street. So we are prepared to tell them to stay away from our treasured library. We are planning a rally to say we will protect our libraries and the right of everyone to read what they choose and to learn our history. The Rally For Freedom To Read will be on Friday, June 30 at noon in front of the Central Branch, 1901 Vine Street. More info coming your way soon!
35 Doors Project Talk to voters in your neighborhood to get out the vote. This is some of the most important work you can do - and it's fun! Check out our 35 Doors Project on our website page! Email us here for more info. We'll give you the training and all the materials you'll need. Vicki will tell you all about it!