Moms for Liberty Alabama is once again supporting and hosting the Brave Books “See You At The Library” events in libraries nationwide.
The Madison County and Baldwin County leaders sat down for an interview and explained why, despite the controversy and protests, they continue to promote and champion this event, as well as the parental rights and advocacy work that Moms for Liberty supports.
Emily Jones, chairwoman of the Madison chapter of Moms for Liberty Alabama, has been at the forefront of the fight to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries and promote categorization standards for these books in public libraries. Jones has talked about the Biden administration's Department of Justice and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s targeting of Moms for Liberty groups as extremist.
"It's a really sad day for our country when our government sets their sights on moms performing their natural role of protecting their children," Jones said. "Moms and dads fighting to preserve their parental rights is not controversial or a partisan position. It's a job that God blessed us with, and we take that responsibility to heart.”
Rebecca Watson, who heads the Baldwin County chapter of Moms for Liberty Alabama, has spearheaded the fight in Fairhope and across Baldwin County. Watson has demanded community accountability for safeguarding children and protecting them from access to literature that is not age-appropriate and deliberately targets them with indoctrination in perversion and gender ideology. Watson has also questioned the social-emotional learning being pushed in the classrooms by local school boards.
Jones and Watson were each asked about the legacy press coverage of Moms for Liberty. If you read any mainstream media outlet, Moms for Liberty is everything from a right-wing astroturf organization to the devil incarnate. Watson and Jones were asked to articulate in their own words what Moms for Liberty represents and why they have chosen to be leaders and spearhead its aims in the state.
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As the chairs of Moms for Liberty Alabama chapters, Jones and Watson are also hosting the Brave Books See You At The Library events on August 24.
See You At The Library brings families and communities together at their local public library to host wholesome story hours that celebrate patriotic, traditional and biblical values.
In 2023, Jones’ event at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library was the epicenter of controversy and protest when the Huntsville-Madison library director canceled the room they had reserved for the August 5, 2023 event. They reversed their decision when Brave Books threatened to sue, but the addition of Christian actor and activist Kirk Cameron and championship swimmer and activist Riley Gaines as guests in attendance precipitated some of the panic and produced strong reactions on both sides of the fence.
Jones talked about that day and the “tempest in a teapot” of protests that erupted from it, mostly led by leftist organizations outside of the state and county, like Birmingham activist Lindsay (Bham Blue Dot).
1819 News asked Read Freely Alabama to be a part of these video interviews, but the leadership declined, citing a busy schedule.
Read Freely Alabama did issue the following statement: "Read Freely Alabama has no position on Kirk Cameron's book sale events. We believe public library spaces should be accessible to all regardless of religious and partisan beliefs. It appears the event planners are renting the library spaces in accordance to the policies in place.”
Read Freely Alabama is part of a group of advocacy organizations that has filed a lawsuit against the Prattville-Autauga Library Board because of its revised policies on the handling of sexually explicit books.
Watson and Jones touched on how they remain undeterred in challenging the status quo and helping to change policies for the betterment of the children of their communities.
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Jones hopes this year’s response to the See You At The Library event will be more manageable than in 2023. She senses courage has been activated, resulting in greater participation and support from the community.
Jones and Watson were asked what would they say to people who are fence sitters, ostriches or would prefer not to rock the boat. They were asked what warning or encouragement could be given to activate others to get involved in the fight.
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The See You At the Library events have seven signups for August 24, and they are spread throughout the state.
Watson will be hosting her event at Fairhope Public Library in the Gideon Conference Center from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Jones will be hosting her event at the Downtown Huntsville-Madison Public Library from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The other locations are:
Mt. Laurel Public Library in Shelby County (Birmingham)
Mobile Public Library - Grand Bay Library (Grand Bay)
Phenix City Russell County Library (Phenix City)
West Regional Library (Mobile)
Demopolis Public Library (Demopolis)
To host your own See You At The Library event, or support one, visit the Brave Books website here.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally stated Read Freely Alabama was a part of the 2023 protests but has been corrected. Read Freely Alabama as an organization did not participate in the protests, and its Madison chapter did not form until September 2023.
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
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