On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, the Starbrite Diner in Allentown, Pennsylvania, hosted the last three members of the Leigh County chapter of Moms for Liberty. The group, which peaked at 200 members in 2020 under founder Janine Vicalvi, has gradually decreased.
Initially formed in resistance to COVID mask and vaccine mandates, Moms for Liberty is now labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an extremist hate group. Reaching a breaking point, Vicalvi concluded, “Between homeschooling and working two jobs, it’s just a lot. And I guess there wasn’t as much willingness to do the work. Which will propel the movement forward.”
Vicalvi’s sentiments resonated with the other women, and together, they voted to dissolve the chapter. She shared the decision on the group’s Facebook page, stating, “So we had our meeting this evening and are going to dissolve our chapter.”
However, she mentioned the vacant chair position for anyone willing to take charge, concluding with a simple, “Please let me know. Thanks!” Sadly, no one had stepped forward for the vacant chair position by Wednesday evening.
Post-COVID, Moms for Liberty attempted to maintain its nationwide ranks through deceptive appeals to parental rights. Leaders within the organizations claimed that schools were indoctrinating and sexualizing children with the “woke” mentality.
They opposed the teaching of critical race theory, although it was not part of public school curricula. Moms for Liberty, claiming to champion freedom, advocated for the banning of books and declared LGBTQ+ acceptance as unacceptable.
Vicalvi expressed the organization’s stance on book banning, singling out “Push.” “Push” is a 1996 novel by Sapphire that depicts the struggles of a 16-year-old in Harlem who is pregnant with her second child. Despite asserting that she is not anti-LGBTQ or racist, Vicalvi tore herself when it came to Mom for Liberty’s opposition to gender-neutral bathrooms.
However, her conflict was not from a place of empathy for transgender or gender non-conforming students. It came from her role as the caregiver of her severely autistic 12-year-old son, which requires accompanying him into public bathrooms.
“I don’t know who is in the men’s room, and he can’t speak for himself,” she said. While other members lost interest in the chapter, with the battle against ” woke” mentalities, Vicalvi remained steadfast in her role as the chair.
Expressing her perspective, she said, “I think that most successful political movements are one-issue movements. And unfortunately, parental rights are amorphous. Everyone has a different idea of what parental rights look like.”
The national organization advocated the path to power lay in local schools. Moreover, Vicalvi’s chapter supported Laura Warmkessel, a like-minded individual, for a seat on the Parkland School Board. Sadly, despite their efforts, there weren’t enough supporters, and Warmkessel lost in the November election.
The setback took a toll on morale. The chapter’s holiday gathering in December saw a turnout of 20 moms. However, Vicalvi noted, “January was low turnout. February was low turnout.” There is hope that the entire Moms for Liberty organization will crumble under the weight of its controversial nature. However, a gradual chapter dissolution would also be a welcomed development.
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