Dear MoveOn member,
Last week, the Wall Street Journal profiled Moms for Liberty, a quickly
growing, Florida-based organization that's behind many of the book bans
sweeping the nation and emptying public school libraries.^1
The Southern Poverty Law Center just categorized Moms for Liberty as a
hate group and noted its close ties to other extremist groups, including
the violent, white nationalist Proud Boys.^2
Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, and other Republican presidential hopefuls are
all scheduled to speak at Moms for Liberty's national conference later
this month.^3
The Wall Street Journal goes so far as to say, "[Trump's] campaign
platform reads like it is from the group’s website."^4
That's what we're up against: MAGA Republican presidential candidates
working hand in hand with hate and extremist organizations and making the
groups' agendas their own. But far too few voters know it.
That's why we're launching our Banned Bookmobile—a member-funded MoveOn
initiative to distribute books for free while drawing attention to MAGA
extremism epitomized by Ron DeSantis.
Can you start a $5 monthly donation to help us get our
Banned Bookmobile up and keep it running for as long as possible, so we
can distribute free banned books and highlight the book bans backed by
DeSantis and Moms for Liberty?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Our Banned Bookmobile will offer readers some of the most frequently
banned books in the nation, most of which are written by people of color
or those who are LGBTQ+ and almost all of which teach about empathy,
compassion, and accurate history.
The plan is for the Banned Bookmobile to go on tour in Florida and around
the country for months, following DeSantis and potentially other MAGA
candidates at campaign stops in key primary states, giving out banned
books for free, hosting events with authors and advocates, and making sure
the press covers the MAGA book bans put into law by DeSantis and other
right-wing politicians.
But in order to do this—and do it successfully—a lot needs to get done in
a short amount of time. Our Banned Bookmobile to-do list includes, but is
not limited to ...
* Hiring and paying workers to staff the Banned Bookmobile,
* Covering the costs of renting and outfitting the physical Bookmobile,
and
* Buying hundreds of copies of books that have been banned by right-wing
extremists.
Some of the titles we will carry include "The 1619 Project: Born on the
Water," a children's picture book that confronts the horrors of American
slavery in an age-appropriate manner, and the classic graphic novel
"Maus," which recounts one family's escape from a Nazi concentration
camp.
We will also carry the most banned book in the nation: "Gender Queer: A
Memoir," a graphic novel telling the true story of nonbinary author Maia
Kobabe's journey toward self-discovery.^5
But none of this can happen without the support of MoveOn members like
you. Please start a $5 monthly donation to help us work
through our to-do list, so we can get the Banned Bookmobile up and keep it
running for as long as possible.
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Moms for Liberty is a fringe group that represents a narrow minority of
Americans—yet has outsized influence because they organized, showed up,
gained media attention, and earned the respect of MAGA politicians.
We, the majority, want our children to have freedom to learn; want hard,
important topics taught in our schools; want to strike down book bans and
lift up authors, teachers, and librarians; and want to respect all our
kids—and we can be heard louder and more clearly than a fringe right-wing
group if we raise our voices together.
The Banned Bookmobile is one tactic in the ongoing work to show up
alongside impacted communities and hold politicians accountable.
Will you start a $5 monthly donation today?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Mona, Justin, Elsie, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "DeSantis, Trump and Other 2024 GOP Campaigns Take Notice of Moms for
Liberty," The Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2023
[link removed]
2. "A group claiming to protect parents' rights in public schools is
labeled as extremist," NPR, June 6, 2023
[link removed]
3. "Trump, DeSantis both slated to speak at Moms for Liberty summit at end
of month," Florida Today, June 5, 2023
[link removed]
4. "DeSantis, Trump and Other 2024 GOP Campaigns Take Notice of Moms for
Liberty," The Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2023
[link removed]
5. "American Library Association Names 2022’s Most Banned Books,"
Smithsonian Magazine, April 25, 2023
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? Book bans have skyrocketed thanks to
right-wing state laws which have forced teachers to remove books from
their classrooms. In response, MoveOn is launching a "Banned Bookmobile,"
filling it with books that the far right has banned, and driving it around
to hand out those books, for free, in highly trafficked areas that will
attract media attention. To keep the Banned Bookmobile up and running into
2024, we need your help.
Will you start a monthly gift to power our critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, [ [link removed] ][link removed]?.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political
Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
