I Was at the Moms for Liberty Summit. I Know Who They Really Are

One area you have no control over is someone else's perception of you, despite your efforts to display your authenticity. Especially in the world of politics, people see what they want to see, and it often is to confirm their political biases instead of seeking out the truth.

Politically, I am an independent who prefers to know when he's wrong about someone or something as I believe humility is preferable to hubris.

I was invited to attend the Moms for Liberty Summit in Philadelphia, which has been at the center of what I perceive to be a media smear campaign, projecting it as a meeting for right-wing fascists, racists, and hate mongers to gather together and plot how they will destroy society.

Was this actually true? Are the founders, Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, purveyors of the worst in our society?

I originally became familiar with Moms for Liberty on social media over a year ago and over time, they contacted me to ask me to attend last year's summit.

In the build-up, I was able to learn more about Tiffany and Tina on a more personal level, and what struck me about them is that they were regular people.

They didn't sound like political operatives or opportunists but instead genuine and caring moms who were appalled at the current state of education for our children.

The day before I met them in person for the first time at the 2022 summit, my father-in-law was taken off life support after days of battling to recover from an illness in the hospital. It was a traumatic time for my entire family because it was sudden and unexpected, making the grieving process even more stark.

When Tiffany Justice saw me for the first time, she immediately embraced me with a type of hug only a mother could give. She told me how she was sorry for my loss and praying for my family.

I would later see Tina Descovich and she gave me the same level of condolences and would periodically check on me and ask how my family was doing.

Presented the opportunity to attend their conference again and teach a workshop about writing strategies, I accepted without hesitation.

Upon walking through the hotel's entrance, it became clear how serious of a matter that security was being taken to ensure the safety of their attendees, as it was filled with Philadelphia PD and hotel security.

With the promise of leftist protestors gathering outside of the hotel, it was slightly unnerving for people who aren't used to being targeted for vitriol.

While outside of the hotel was a gathering of the angry ideologues, inside was joyful and positive. It was filled with mothers, and a few fathers, from all over the country who wanted to come together for a positive experience and educate themselves about a variety of topics that would assist them in their activism efforts back home.

I lost track of how many people I had in-depth conversations with, but it became clear to me that they all had a story that wasn't being recognized that drove them into the arms of Moms for Liberty.

They had first-hand accounts of maltreatment by their local school districts, stories of clashes over the brandishing of inappropriate content aimed directly at their children, and were disgusted with the divisive rhetoric that was permeating their community.

Yet with all of these experiences, they seem to be either purposely being ignored by the media or gaslighted by them about what they've witnessed.

Moms for Liberty calls their members "Joyful Warriors" but many of their members were at one point reluctant warriors.

They were regular people who weren't very political until politics came for their children. They had no ambition to storm their school board meetings en masse or petition legislators until absurdity reached the feet of their spitting images.

I believe the media establishment's attempt to label these people as extremists is only for the satisfaction of creating another boogeyman to gain clicks from, and playing cover for a government apparatus that cares more about the people at the top of the tax bracket than the working-class mothers of America.

In my eyes, Moms for Liberty represents an organization that empowers women to do something extraordinary by challenging the government's authority as they push back against their attempt to co-parent with them.

So, are Moms for Liberty and the founders fascists? Of course not. Fascists demand more government authority over the lives of others and they're asking for the opposite. They are demanding transparency so they can adequately protect their children from perversion and mistreatment.

Are they racist hate mongers as some parts of the media portray them? Again, no.

Instead of being hateful, they were hopeful about the trajectory of our country and frequently exuded gratitude to live in this great nation, hence the symbolism of having the event in the birthplace of America days before Independence Day.

By the end of the event, you could feel the energy of positivity and love aimed at every single person in the ballroom, which was dichotomous as outside of the event the protestors raged on.

However, despite my saying all of this, people will still see what they want to see because too many value feeling right over being right.

They need a villain to galvanize against and in this case, their enemy is a group of mostly working-class mothers: Sounds strange, right?

Adam Coleman is the founder of Wrong Speak Publishing

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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