The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia is facing retaliation for agreeing to host a private event for far-right group Moms For Liberty (M4L) later this month.
The establishment, of which declared mission is to center “the diverse people and complex events that sparked the ongoing American experiment in freedom, equality, and self-government,” is set to rent one of its event spaces on June 29 — the first day of the second so-called “Joyful Warriors Summit” at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott Hotel.
Founded in 2021 by Florida school board members Tiffany Justice, Tina Descovich and Bridget Ziegler, M4L claims to have more than 100,000 members in more than 250 chapters in 42 states, according to the civil rights watchdog. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). SPLC included the conservative organization in its newly released 2022 Hate and Extremism Report for the group’s war on “inclusive curriculum, LGBTQ rights and what they consider to be inappropriate reading material in classrooms and libraries,” all under the guise of a nonpartisan parent. concern. Given the group’s political activity, the conservative organization was critical for its categorization as a 501(c)4 nonprofit, a tax-exempt status that does not require the group to disclose the identity of its donors.
This year’s M4L conference is scheduled to run until July 2 and will feature a number of right-wing speakers, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki. Haley. Museum officials said Philadelphia Gay News (PGN) that they had “proactively notified those responsible for the event,” which was scheduled for last December and remained confidential until details were released anonymously in late May.
In solidarity with museum employees who allegedly opposed the event, the civil rights group defense of democracy (DofD) launched an online platform petition. “Stand with your employees, visitors, and volunteers of color and do NOT hold the Moms for Liberty opening event at your museum,” the petition urges.
Since its inception on June 5, the letter has garnered more than 1,600 signatures calling on museum officials to reverse their decision to host the M4L event.
“Hate speech is not protected speech”, said Karen Svoboda Hyperallergic by telephone. Svoboda helped start DofD in direct response to M4L last spring with another parent, Laura Leigh Abby, when the conservative group began campaigning against their school district’s curriculum and spreading homophobic rhetoric in their community.
“Is the museum now saying that it will give the KKK a platform? Are they saying they will give the Nazi party a platform? Where is the line they will draw? Svoboda continued.
In response to the recent actions, a spokesperson for the Museum of the American Revolution said Hyperallergic in a statement that “because fostering understanding within a democratic society is so essential to [its] mission, rejecting visitors on the basis of ideology would actually be contrary to [its] aim.”
“We welcome all visitors and pride ourselves on a museum experience that reflects our mission to uncover and share the stories of diverse people and complex events that sparked the ongoing American experiment in freedom, equality and self-government,” added the representative.
The spokesperson also said that the institution is “aware that some staff members disagree with the private booking of the museum” and that it plans “to do everything we can to support them by listening with intent, making sure they know they are valued.” , and welcome them when the date of the event arrives.
DofD pushed its protest against the museum’s decision earlier this month when the organization received a donation to rent a display truck display signage and a video denouncing the intolerant opinions of M4L. On the morning of June 9, organizers parked the vehicle in front and in the center of the Philadelphia institution. In the afternoon they also took a quick drive past the Marriott.
At 6 p.m. that same day, another protest led by Act Up Philly and other community organizations including the Communist Youth League gathered outside the historic institution. Despite the unsafe air quality caused by wildfire smoke traveling from Canada, organizers were undeterred from speak out against the museum’s decision to house the extremist group. They carried signs that read phrases such as “Book bans are un-American” and “Read the real story”, and covered the sidewalks with chalk-colored illustrations and additional messages expressing their opposition. Those unable to attend the rally were encouraged to contact the museum directly by phone, email or social media to voice their concerns.
The organizers staged another demonstration last Friday, June 16 in front of the museum during a documentary screening. Protesters gathered at the entrance of the building to greet museum visitors before and after the program to highlight the institution’s hypocritical decision to screen a documentary about Black American history while choosing to host a group far-right later this month that aims to erase BIPOC+ and LGBTQ+ stories from school curricula.
