A victory for Harris and Walz would have devastating consequences for the rights of parents and children, say co-founders of Moms for Liberty

Given their political track record, a victory by presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in November would mean a “bleak future for parental rights.”

That’s also the sentiment expressed by Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, who spoke to The Lion over Labor Day weekend at the organization’s Joyful Warriors National Summit. The organization describes itself as “a gathering of parents fighting to defend their parental rights and improve education in America.”

And these moms and dads across the country are preparing to mobilize voter and parental rights advocacy ahead of the November election.

“We will be the majority that takes back our country,” Tina Descovich, the other co-founder of the parents’ rights group, told attendees.

“The kids are not learning to read in school,” Justice told The Lion, citing declining test scores in public schools across the country. “They spend over 8 hours a day, 180 days a year in school.”

“They are taught that the color of their skin, their religion or their origin somehow determines their future and that they are powerless to do anything about it.”

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

How important are the upcoming elections?

“It will shape the future of our children,” Justice said, adding that elected officials must be held accountable for what they promise during the election campaign.

Beyond the presidential election, she believes parents need to get involved in state and local elections, as many education policies are decided at those levels of government. That’s why Moms for Liberty’s local chapters are so important.

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

She hopes that further bills on parental rights will be passed in 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’re preparing for the upcoming election.

Cristiane Mersch, a chapter leader in Clark County, Nevada, told The Lion she wants to show people in the Las Vegas area that “their rights are being censored” by recruiting and engaging members to attend school board meetings. She visits churches to raise awareness about issues that affect her and her children. She also said she encourages others to “register to vote and make sure local elections matter.”

In 2023, Clark County schools were considered among the worst in the country.

In Georgia, Meg Rudnick, ambassador for Moms for Liberty, told the Lion that she is seeing more parents willing to speak out on the issues that matter most to them.

“If parents don’t continue to stand up and fight, I think the education system will take over your children, take away your rights, and parents will cease to exist or will cease to exist at all,” she said.

Concerns about parental rights and the influence of the education system also cross generations.

Skylar Sheets, a 17-year-old high school student from Kansas who is not eligible to vote this year, told The Lion that advocates of gender ideology and critical race theory “need to be stopped once and for all before more children suffer.”

Although there is a lot at stake, her Christian faith keeps her confident no matter the outcome.

“God is in control,” she continued. “And even when things go wrong, God can turn them around. He can turn evil into good for His glory.”

Her mother Erika said that although her children are close to graduating from school, many of her relatives are still attending public schools.

“I have many young family members, young nieces, nephews and cousins ​​who will be in school for a long time,” she continued. “Even though our children’s school days are coming to an end, this fight is important to me.”

After the election, Justice told Lion Moms for Liberty that the organization would continue to focus on “defending and protecting parental rights at all levels of government, whether in Congress or in state legislatures across the country.”