A Harris-Walz victory would be devastating for parents’ rights, kids, say co-founders of Moms for Liberty

Based on their political track record, a November victory for presidential candidate Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz would mean a “bleak future of parental rights.”

So says Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice, who spoke to The Lion during the organization’s Joyful Warriors National Summit over Labor Day weekend, which bills itself as a “gathering of parents fighting to defend their parental rights and improve education in America.”

And those mothers and fathers from all over the country are preparing to mobilize voter and parental rights advocates in the lead up to the November election.  

“We are going to be the majority to take back our country,” Tina Descovich, the other co-founder of the parents’ right group, told attendees. 

“Kids aren’t learning to read in school,” Justice told The Lion, referring to the decline in test scores in public schools around the nation. “They’re spending over 8 hours a day, 180 days a year in school. 

“They’re being taught that the color of their skin or their religion or their background somehow dictates their future and that they are powerless to do anything about that.” 

Justice wants American parents to know that “their vote matters and that they need to get involved.” She also urges them to “wake other people up” and to “get them registered to vote at every level of government, from the school board to the White House.”  

Just how important is the upcoming election? 

“It’s going to shape our children’s future,” Justice said, adding that elected officials must be held accountable for what they promise when running for office. 

Beyond the national presidential election, parents need to be active in state and local elections, she believes, since many education policies are passed at those levels of government. It’s why Moms for Liberty chapters are so important. 

“I’ve spoken to many people who are trying to get legislation passed in support of parental rights and support of our schools,” Ashley Jones, chapter chair of Florence County, South Carolina, told The Lion. 

She hopes to see more parental rights bills passed during the next legislative session.  

Several Moms for Liberty leaders from several key swing states spoke to The Lion about what’s at stake and how they are gearing up for the upcoming election. 

By recruiting and engaging members to be involved in school board meetings, Cristiane Mersch, chapter leader from Clark County, Nevada, told The Lion she wants people in the Las Vegas area to know “their rights are being censored.” She visits churches to bring issues impacting them and their children. She also said she is encouraging others to “register to vote and make sure that local elections matter.”  

In 2023, Clark County Schools were reported as one of the worst in the nation. 

In Georgia, Meg Rudnick, a Moms for Liberty ambassador for the state, told the Lion she sees a rise in parents willing to speak out on the issues that matter most to them. 

“If parents don’t continue to stand up, and they don’t continue to fight, then I see the education system taking over your children, taking over your rights, and the parent won’t exist or be non-existent,” she said. 

The concerns about parental rights and the influence of the education system are also echoed across different generations. 

Skylar Sheets, a 17-year-old high schooler from Kansas who can’t vote this year, told The Lion that people who advocate for gender ideology and critical race theory “need to be stopped and stopped once and for all before more kids suffer.”  

Despite the high stakes, she has confidence no matter the outcome due to her Christian faith. 

“God’s got it,” she continued. “And even if things go south, God can turn it. Turn evil into his good for his glory. 

Her mother, Erika, said that while her children are about to graduate from school, she has a lot of relatives who are still in public schools. 

“I have a lot of young family members, young nieces, nephews, and cousins that are going to be in school for a long time,” she continued. “So even though our kids’ time in school is winding down, that fight is important to me.” 

After the election, Justice told the Lion Moms for Liberty will be focused on continuing to defend and protect “parental rights at all levels of government, whether that means in Congress or in state houses around the country.”