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EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES goes hand in hand ! Tune in today to Viewpoint With Seeta and Friends on AM 1510 WWBC, FM 94.7, FM 99.9, FM 100.7, and online at https://1510wwbc.com/. Seeta Media, Inc. presents a discussion on partnerships between parents, students, and friends of education.
Join author, educator, Dr Martha Joseph Watts, as she discusses her books and workshops. In-studio guest Liz Kelly Mikitarian will explore the future of quality public education for all students and the role of parents. @highlight
Learn more at https://www.seetamediainc.com/. Viewpoint With Seeta and Friends AM 1510 WWBCSeeta Media, Inc.Liz Kelly Mikitarian
STOP Moms For Liberty (National)
Dr Martha Joseph
Dr. Martha Joseph Watts is an English teacher, a teacher trainer, educational consultant, author, and writer. She is best known for her Writing to Respond (WTR) process—an approach for improving students performance in writing. She has published several educational resources to include books, workbooks, classroom charts, student and educator wheels. Dr. Watts’ newest work is her publication of children’s fiction.
As independent education consultant she conducts professional development sessions to support schools with strengthening their literacy needs. Dr. Watts served as elementary teacher in her home country of Dominica, as an English middle and higher school teacher in the US Virgin Islands, as adjunct writing instructor with the University of the Virgin Islands, and currently as Literary Coach in Florida.
While working as an English teacher in the US Virgin Islands Dr. Watts was awarded the Heath Humanities Award for Excellence in teaching the humanities. In addition to her work as a writer and educator, Dr. Watts has been involved with community outreach like prison ministry, and nursing home visits. She has also been instrumental in her church community as a Sunday school teacher and supporter of events that cater to people with special needs, foster children, and people with need.
Her philanthropic work includes donating her educational resources to schools in disadvantage settings in the Caribbean region, providing professional development sessions to educators in those settings; She was also instrumental in setting up community library in one community in her home country. She continues to support other non-profit work as the need arises.
Stop Moms for Liberty
STOP Moms for Liberty is a national movement dedicated to protecting public schools from the influence of Moms for Liberty and far-right extremist agendas.
STOP Moms for Liberty is an organization founded to resist the influence of Moms for Liberty (MFL), a conservative political group that campaigns against school curricula addressing LGBTQ rights, race, critical race theory, and other topics, and has been involved in book banning and challenging educational content in schools Wikipedia+1. The mission of STOP Moms for Liberty is to support public education, educators, students, and families while opposing discriminatory and politically motivated interventions in schools stopmomsforliberty.com.
Mission and Goals
The organization emphasizes:
- Protecting public schools from far-right Christian nationalist influence and discriminatory policies stopmomsforliberty.com.
- Supporting educators and students by resisting excessive book challenges and curriculum censorship stopmomsforliberty.com.
- Connecting resistance efforts nationwide, creating a network of education advocates to strengthen public school systems stopmomsforliberty.com.
- Promoting inclusivity and equity, particularly for underserved communities targeted by MFL campaigns stopmomsforliberty.com.
Context and Activities
STOP Moms for Liberty was created in response to the rapid growth of Moms for Liberty, which has chapters in 45 states and over 115,000 members, and is influential within the Republican Party Wikipedia.
While MFL frames itself as a parental rights organization, STOP Moms for Liberty argues that MFL’s actions often favor certain parents and political agendas, including pushing for public funds to support private education and attempting to control the teaching of history
The group organizes advocacy, awareness campaigns, and community support to counteract MFL’s influence, emphasizing that book banning and curriculum interference can harm students and overburden educators stopmomsforliberty.com. STOP Moms for Liberty also highlights the national scope of the anti-public school movement, noting that radical conservative efforts are coordinated across states rather than being purely local issues theeducatorsroom.com.
Leadership and Organization
The movement was founded by Liz Mikitarian, a retired teacher and educational advocate, who emphasizes the importance of organizing resistance and sharing resources to protect public education stopmomsforliberty.com. The organization positions itself as a grassroots network of education advocates committed to defending democratic and inclusive schooling.
In summary, STOP Moms for Liberty is a counter-movement to Moms for Liberty, focused on defending public education, opposing censorship, and supporting educators and students nationwide against politically motivated interventions in schools
From Liz:
As I posted my concerns starting in 2020 about Moms for Liberty across various groups on Facebook, it became apparent that the MFL cry of “parent rights” was not the full story. I was very happy and encouraged to see that there were many efforts at fighting back against the unwelcome MFL strategic takeover of our public school systems across America! So STOP Moms for Liberty (SMFL) was born.
The attempted MFL takeover by this fear-mongering, dark money-connected “nonprofit” is discriminatory and designed to inject far-right Christian Nationalism into what is supposed to be an inclusive, neutral, and safe space for all children and teachers. Underserved communities are targeted by MFL’s accusations and insults. We at SMFL stand united to support all students, families, and teachers without exception. We understand that when MFL claims they are a parents’ rights organization, they have made it abundantly clear that they only mean some parents.
Their push toward tax dollars being used for private education is also unfolding across the country. Elected officials in some states are complicit in the often nefarious actions of the MFL group by concocting legislation that is both discriminatory and revengeful. Voucher bills are being approved with little accountability for those public funds. Legislation to try to control the teaching of history is beyond frightening. By questioning books, a small number of loud voices are inundating districts with review requests, which creates insurmountable amounts of work for our already over-burdened educators. Book banning is a strategy used throughout history to silence voices. Our children deserve to have a variety of reading experiences without opinionated oversight. Honestly, it is unbelievable to see censorship in the great and free USA. The solution is to provide an opt-out opportunity for parents. Opting out only impacts their own child. Opting in is actually discriminatory and punishes students if they do not have an active parent.
As a retired teacher and educational advocate, I choose to stand up for my profession and to help in organizing efforts to shield our children from the great harm being done by the hate-filled attacks against our community schools. Horrific, disparaging, and often dangerous actions aimed directly at teachers, administrators, media specialists, and school board members cannot be tolerated. All educators deserve our support and protection.
The mission of STOP Moms for Liberty is to connect the resistance across our nation so that we can support each other in the quest to save our public school systems. There is strength in numbers and effectiveness in organizing.
Now, let’s change the narrative!
Liz Mikitarian
STOP Moms for Liberty Founder “An attack on democracy anywhere is an attack on democracy everywhere!”