Before Moms for Liberty.
Before Ron DeSantis even ran for governor.
Before “CRT” became the latest racist GOP dog whistle.
Before all of that, some real Moms in Tennessee—as in, Moms who aren't vicious political operatives funded by the cruel forces of dark money—understood the way the winds were blowing.
Way back in 2017, in the early days of Trump’s presidential crime spree, Moms for Social Justice was born in Chattanooga, a smallish city that's a beacon of moderation in the otherwise deep-red state of Tennessee.
Six years later—as the now-nationally prominent hate group Moms for Liberty gathers headliner Republican Party fascists in Philadelphia for a CPAC-level event to discuss how to traumatize more kids, teachers, librarians and parents—I thought it would be a good time to invite Moms for Social Justice co-founder Taylor Lyons to answer a few questions by email about what it's like fighting the good fight within a true grassroots organization.
Q&A with Moms for Social Justice co-founder Taylor Lyons
Tell me why you founded Moms for Social Justice in Chattanooga in 2017.
We began Moms for Social Justice (MSJ) back in 2017, soon after the "Unite the Right" hate rally in Charlottesville. We knew that awful display of white supremacists openly and unapologetically marching in our streets was a watershed moment for our country. We knew this was a moment of great reckoning and a call for facing the past, the present and being part of reconciliation or sitting on the sidelines. We did not want to tell our kids 20 years from now that in this moment in history, we did nothing or simply shared our outrage on social media. That didn't feel anywhere near sufficient. So without knowing entirely what we were doing or how we were going to do it—four moms started Moms for Social Justice in my living room. We had a feeling, we weren't alone in our community. And I'm happy to say we were right. What began as four moms quickly grew to over 3K engaged community members—which is not insignificant for a mid-sized city in the deep South. As a genuine grassroots organization, we've been steadily growing ever since without the aid of powerful connections or shadowy funders—unlike some of the astroturf 'mom-led' organizations on the other side of the ideological spectrum.
How many chapters do you now have and how active are they?
We have added several chapters of MSJ spread throughout the US. They know best the needs and efforts that best support their communities so their work varies from community to community. We would love to see a chapter of MSJ in every community someday because we know that nothing affects change quite like engaging in our own backyard. And because we know Moms get shit done. And when Moms are working for what is just and good, it's a powerful force.
What other organizations do you partner with or otherwise recommend?
We are grateful to have meaningful partnerships with many local community organizations such as the Chattanooga Pride, ArtsBuild, the Urban League and many others. A huge part of our heart and mission as an organization is to amplify and uplift the work of other community organizations. We frequently highlight these community partners by featuring them on our social platforms, driving donations towards their efforts, and volunteering where we can be most helpful. On a state and national front, we have wonderful relationships with other like minded parent-led and public education organizations including Students Rights Coalition, TN Coalition for Truth in Our Classrooms, One Willco, Florida Freedom to Read, Every Library, Defense of Democracy, Freedom to Read. We could go on and on. We are so inspired by the work of so many organizations across the nation fighting for our kids.
What do you say to those who accuse you of pushing a leftist agenda?
We have no agenda other than the firm belief that all kids have a right to be loved and valued for who they are, they have a right to quality and equitable public education, the right to read diverse and inclusive literature that speaks to them, affordable housing, health-care, access to nutritious food, safe neighborhoods and schools. Ok, so it does sound like we have an agenda I guess. The agenda that sees kids happy, healthy- and thriving no matter who they are, how they identify, or their zip code.
How has your life—and life for all Moms for Social Justice—changed since Moms for Liberty launched in 2021?
We have sadly been forced to move from a positive and proactive force in our community to constantly playing defense from whatever manufactured moral panic issue the far-right 'Moms for Liberty' and other organizations they are linked to have pulled from their bingo card that month. First it was the masks and Covid mitigation measures they protested, next they moved on to attacking 'CRT', 'DEI', 'SEL'. And of course they have actively sought to remove books they don't like from our school libraries. Many of these outspoken agitators do not even have children who attend public school, and it is no coincidence that they almost exclusively target books written by and about the lived experiences of BIPOC communities and the Queer community.
Let’s talk about Tennessee specifically—how has anti-LGBTQ legislation affected your state?
Our organization has come under fierce attack from our local chapter of Moms for Liberty because of our social initiative the 'Classroom Library Project'. A little backstory there. Back in 2018, we were volunteering in some of our under-served and under-resourced schools and noticed empty library shelves and old books that may not represent the lived experiences of the kids who were reading them. As a small grassroots org, we knew we did not have the resources to overhaul an entire school library, but we thought we could do one classroom library at a time. And that's exactly what we did. We crowd sourced and self-funded the first few, and then were lucky to receive a $25K grant to complete the project's initial goal. Word got around, and teachers began reaching out to us. We would go into their classroom over the weekend and transform a designated corner. We would paint, bring in fun new furniture, new rugs, new lighting, and most importantly thousands of beautiful brand-new diverse and inclusive literature appropriate for the student's grade and reading level. Our reading lists were curated by teachers, librarians, literacy coaches and included award-winning titles of all kinds. We wanted EVERY kid who visited that library to find a book that represented their lived experience and/or spoke to them on a personal level. We included books by BIPOC authors with BIPOC protagonists, Spanish titles, Queer representation, Disability representation—we remain very proud of those book lists.
It is for this reason that Moms for Liberty has so aggressively attacked and maligned our organization—claiming that these books are an overt attempt to "indoctrinate kids with a leftist agenda." We of course know that is complete nonsense. Representation is not indoctrination. And if kids are going to learn to love to read, they must see themselves or what relates to their lives in the pages. And in the most serious cases, we have heard from many of our local Queer community members that they never saw themselves represented in books and that it was isolating and dangerous. A book can quite possibly be some kid's lifeline as the only form of positive representation they encounter. That is why we will never apologize for putting books in the hands of kids who need them the most.
What do you say to those like your (formerly cross-dressing) Governor Bill Lee who are vilifying Drag Queens in particular?
The GOP supermajority in Tennessee is determined to make this beautiful state of ours as hostile as possible for our Queer community, for those who are pregnant, for students who deserve a comprehensive and truthful education, for educators, for BIPOC communities who are constantly facing voter suppression and segregated communities and resources, for the working class. Tennessee is at the bottom end of education funding, a dismal infant/maternal mortality rate, 1 in 4 living in poverty, thousands of children facing food insecurity and sleeping on office floors of the DCS offices. We have very real pressing issues affecting real families in this state. And instead of addressing them, our state legislature would rather spend its time expelling their Black colleagues for peaceful protest over gun violence and passing bogus legislation they know won't stand up in court. The latest example of this farce is the TN Drag bill that effectively banned family friendly Drag performances. This poorly written vague legislation was nothing more than thinly veiled hate and the dehumanization of our Queer community. We had local businesses being threatened, Drag performers receiving death threats and having their performances protested by neo Nazis and white supremacists. Many stopped performing entirely and some expressed fear to even leave their homes. Our Trans community has come under relentless attacks, anti-Trans legislation, and complete misinformation campaigns. Our lawmakers dismiss the expert opinions of medical professionals and heart wrenching accounts of Queer families lived experiences, and instead base their hate-filled legislative agenda on the fabricated narrative of social media influencers and grifters. We know that many in our Queer community have begun making preparations to leave the state or have left already. For some, leaving is not an option and it is for them we will continue to fight with so many others who are working to make this state a safe and affirming place for ALL.
What advice do you have for other parents who want to get involved in their communities, especially to fight book banning?
Our advice to parents who want to get involved and fight to save public education is simply to start showing up. Go to your local school board meetings, find friends to go with you if you can. Speak up and speak out for the right to read, intellectual freedom, representation. You know why? Because the other side is showing up, they are showing up loudly and consistently and they claim to speak for all parents. Well they sure as hell don't speak for us and we let our community leaders, media, school district leadership know it. We are also parents who have rights, and perhaps more importantly our kids have rights. They have the right to be respected and valued no matter how they identify, they have the right to read inclusive and challenging books, they have the right to learn an actual account of history, and BIPOC and Queer students have the right to learn their communities' heroes and history. If you believe that too, then you have to fight for it. Because there is an all-out assault happening with the overarching goal to dismantle public education as we know it and transform them into Christian Nationalist training programs. Public education has plenty of areas of improvement but we believe that it is worth fighting for because, at its core, it is meant to serve the general public. And the general public is beautifully nuanced and diverse, we expect nothing less for our kid's education. And the time to let it be known loudly is NOW. Speak up, others will join you. And if they don't, at least there's you. And you'll be speaking up for the kids whose voices aren't at the table.
How can people support Moms for Social Justice in Chattanooga and elsewhere?
You can support us by following us on social media platforms and letting us know. It's really easy to get demoralized in this climate, your encouragement helps! You can start a chapter of MSJ in your community, reach out to us and we'll tell you how. You can donate to our efforts. We don't have big shadowy funders like those on the other side, we rely on small donations from those who believe in our work. You can share our work and efforts with your community. We're here, reach out to us. We're Moms who love our kids and want good things for them. We're Moms who love all kids and want good things for them. And we'll never stop fighting for each of them!
Twitter: @momsforsj
Facebook: @MSJChatt
Instagram: @msjchatt
Website: momsforsocialjustice.us
Donate to Moms for Social Justice at: givebutter.com
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