Two MSBSD School Board Incumbents Groveling for Moms for Liberty Endorsement – What Will They Promise?
Moms for Liberty, the right-wing group that has been accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech, is holding a meeting of its Mat-Su chapter on September 28th at an undisclosed location.
Meetings generally focus on identifying LGBTQ-themed library books to be banned, inventing ways to attack school curriculum, and scheming against education professionals who they believe are indoctrinating children with radical left-wing values such as acceptance and inclusivity.
Two incumbent Matanuska-Susitna School Board members up for re-election this November, Ole Larson, and Kathy McCollum, will give presentations at the meeting in hopes of securing an endorsement from the hateful anti-government organization for their re-election campaigns.
McCollum seeking Moms for Liberty's endorsement is interesting, if only because she handpicked chapter secretary, Kali Ponder, to serve on the school district's book-banning library citizens advisory committee.
While Moms for Liberty has promised to take over school boards in multiple states, in Alaska, the group already has two strong far-right anti-student allies on the school board in the form of Larson and McCollum. It's unclear what the two candidates might say or promise at the meeting to ensure they receive the chapter's endorsement.
Dianne Shibe, an educator with a master’s degree in educational leadership, is running against Larson.
Sydney Zuyus, a Colony High School graduate who attended George Fox University, is challenging McCollum.
Critics of Moms for Liberty have accused the group of using its platform to promote harmful and divisive rhetoric and for its opposition to critical race theory, a college-level (not K-12) academic framework that examines how race and racism have shaped American society. Controversies stemming from affiliations with the Proud Boys or references to Hitler have failed to erode the group's sway within conservative circles. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Moms for Liberty an extremist organization and allegations linking them to incidents of harassment and threats around the country are numerous.
Moms for Liberty's sustained attacks on LGBTQ students are part of a broader effort by far-right groups to roll back LGBTQ rights. They have lobbied against LGBTQ-inclusive policies in schools, and are behind book banning and "Don't Say Gay" laws. The organization has fought against transgender students using bathrooms and other facilities according to their gender identity.
Endorsement-seeking aside, this month's meeting is also an opportunity for the public to learn more about the group's harmful agenda and to take action to oppose it. While Moms for Liberty does not publicly disclose where meetings are held, they do list an email address members of the public can use to ask for details about the September 28th meeting. moms4libertymatsu@gmail.com
Facebook users can also request to join the private Moms for Liberty Mat-Su Facebook group to learn more about the right-wing organization's efforts to upend public education, implement harmful policies aimed at discriminating against LGBTQ youth, and ban books from school libraries.
There are some additional ways to hold Moms for Liberty accountable:
- Attend the group's meetings IF you can find them.
- Contact the MSBSD School Board and other elected officials and let them know that you oppose Moms for Liberty's hateful agenda.
- Donate to organizations that are working to combat misinformation and hate speech.
- Volunteer your time to educate others about the dangers of Moms for Liberty.
- Support candidates who don't subscribe to the far-right organization's agenda.
Further reading:
https://thebluealaskan.com/the-politics-of-polarization-republicans-behind-right-wing-moms-for-liberty-movement-in-alaska/
