海角大神

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that 2024 will be the year that parents 鈥渇inally fight back鈥� as he kicked off the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a group that has fiercely opposed instruction related to race and gender identity in the nation鈥檚 classrooms.

The two-year-old group, which was founded in Florida in 2021 to fight local COVID school mask mandates and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics as an advocate for 鈥減arental rights鈥� in education. But it has also been accused of preaching hate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeling it an 鈥渆xtremist鈥� group for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation, and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.

The conference has nonetheless drawn leading Republican presidential candidates, including Govenor DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, the race鈥檚 frontrunner, who is set to speak later Friday afternoon.

Governor DeSantis, in his remarks, praised the group for 鈥渃oming under attack by the left,鈥� saying it was 鈥渁 sign that we are winning this fight.鈥� He ran through his efforts in Florida to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms as well as certain books from school libraries. And he pledged to 鈥渇ight the woke鈥� as president.

鈥淚 think what we鈥檝e seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama bears. And they鈥檙e ready to roll,鈥� he said, predicting moms would be 鈥渢he key political force for this 2024 cycle.鈥�

鈥�2024 is going to be the year when the parents across the county finally fight back,鈥� he said.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is also slated to address the group Friday at the downtown Philadelphia hotel hosting the conference. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are set to give remarks on Saturday.

Their attendance underscores the influence of the group, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians, and donors to become a major player in 2024.

The group has transformed from three Florida moms opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2021 to claiming 285 chapters across 45 states. Along the way, it has found a close ally in Governor DeSantis, who was presented with a 鈥渓iberty sword鈥� at the group鈥檚 first annual meeting last year and has signed multiple bills that Moms for Liberty supported.

Beyond remarks from the candidates and other speakers, the summit will feature strategy sessions on such topics as 鈥減rotecting kids from gender ideology鈥� and 鈥渃omprehensive sex education: sex ed or sexualization.鈥�

Parent activists and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations gathered Friday to protest outside the conference, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center鈥檚 designation of the group as an 鈥渁nti-government extremist鈥� organization.

Others mentioned recent incidents, including an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter publishing an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter before apologizing and removing it, and a Tennessee chapter complaining about lessons on Black civil rights figures Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges.

鈥淲e are going to be loud and we are going to be loving and we are going to be full of positive energy,鈥� People for the American Way national field director Alana Byrd said outside the hotel, ahead of Gov. DeSantis鈥� morning address. 鈥淎ll we want is the freedom to learn and the freedom to read for children and grandchildren in this country.鈥�

In the days before the conference, several historical associations, state senators, activists, and employees at Philadelphia鈥檚 Museum of the American Revolution had pleaded unsuccessfully with the museum to cancel a welcome event for the conference planned for Thursday night.

鈥淭he very history that we鈥檙e presenting within the walls of the museum is a more diverse and therefore more accurate telling of history,鈥� said Trish Norman, an assistant curator at the museum who protested the event. 鈥淎nd Moms for Liberty is notorious for erasing LGBTQ voices and Black voices from history.鈥�

The museum told The Associated Press that 鈥渂ecause fostering understanding within a democratic society is so central to our mission, rejecting visitors on the basis of ideology would in fact be antithetical to our purpose.鈥�

People for the American Way was among several groups planning to rally against the gathering. Its 鈥淕randparents for Truth鈥� campaign was mobilizing grandparents and other supporters 鈥渨ho are fighting for the next generation鈥檚 freedom to learn.鈥�

One such grandparent, Maureen Carre帽o, said she wasn鈥檛 taught a diverse history as a child and wants something different for her five grandkids.

鈥淚 would hope that we teach the totality of history,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd, yes, it might make you feel a little bad or sad or something, but that鈥檚 part of history.鈥�

Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice said the protesters 鈥渙bviously don鈥檛 know very much about our organization,鈥� and if they wanted to, 鈥渢hey could have come to the summit instead of standing on the street.鈥�

Though Moms for Liberty says it is nonpartisan, it has largely drawn conservative support. The group also has fought to elect conservative candidates to school boards around the country.

While the group鈥檚 status as a 501(c)4 nonprofit means it doesn鈥檛 have to disclose its funders, its public donors include conservative powerhouses such as the Heritage Foundation and the Leadership Institute, a national political training organization.

Patriot Mobile, a far-right 海角大神 cellphone company paying to sponsor Mr. Trump鈥檚 remarks at the conference, has a political action committee that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in an effort to take charge of Texas school boards.

Mom for Liberty鈥檚 Florida-based PAC also has received a $50,000 donation from Julie Fancelli, a Republican donor whose family owns Publix grocery stores and who helped fund Mr. Trump鈥檚 Jan. 6 鈥淪top the Steal鈥� rally, according to House Jan. 6 committee findings. Ms. Fancelli didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment.

Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running in the Democratic presidential primary, had been scheduled to speak at the group鈥檚 summit, but his 鈥渃ampaign told us his schedule changed,鈥� Ms. Justice said.

Mr. Kennedy鈥檚 press team said he dropped out 鈥渇or family reasons.鈥� Hours later, Mr. Kennedy said during a town hall with NewsNation that he 鈥渕ade a mistake by accepting that invitation鈥� and that once he learned of Moms for Liberty鈥檚 positions on LGBTQ+ issues, he 鈥渄eclined to go.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.