It was with a heavy heart, that I ended my career as a NYC elementary school guidance counselor in June of 2021.  At that time, I was two years short of reaching full retirement age and I took a reduction of 12% of my pension. I hadn’t planned to retire for a few more years. The decision did not come easily.

     When the schools shut down in March of 2020, I never imagined they would remain closed for as long as they did. My heart went out to the families I worked with as they struggled with the demands of remote learning. The Department of Education’s response to the pandemic was shameful. As a guidance counselor, I witnessed firsthand, the social, emotional, and academic impact school closures had on the children. COVID-19 policies were undoubtedly more harmful to the children than the disease itself.

     By the time in person learning resumed, the educational mess worsened. Public schools underwent radical transformations. Critical race theory, culturally responsive education, social emotional learning, restorative justice, and gender ideology had been added to the curriculum. Staff members we forced to attend implicit bias trainings and encouraged to “reimagine education”. The Department of Education adopted a new language and a new purpose: to indoctrinate rather than educate. Recent trends in education are harming our children and threatening the very fabric of our nation.

      A war is being waged against our children and they are being robbed of their innocence. For such a time as this I realized I had another calling. I heard about Moms for Liberty on a talk radio show about two years ago and was impressed by the courage and mission of parents and caregivers nationwide who referred to themselves as “peaceful warriors.” Moms for Liberty is an organization dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating, and empowering parents to defend their parental rights to protect their children. In two and a half short years this organization has grown exponentially; 285 chapters nationwide across 45 states, with approximately 120,000 members. It is with pride that I inform you that moms, dads, grandparents, and concerned citizens and I have joined the movement by starting a chapter in Queens County, N.Y. We are the first chapter in the NYC area.

    As you may be aware, that The Southern Poverty Law Center vilified Moms for Liberty by calling it an “antigovernment extremist hate group”. They could not be more wrong in their assessment.  Five members from the Queens County chapter and I recently had the opportunity to engage with more than 650 members of the movement from 45 states nationwide, during a four-day Moms for Liberty Summit in Philadelphia. It was an awe-inspiring event that filled our hearts with love, fellowship, patriotism, hope and inspiration from start to finish. 

     Prominent singer Mary Millben, who sang for presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, united us in song with her renditions of “The National Anthem,” “God Bless America,” and an inspirational tune called “Carry Your Candle.” We listened to speeches from an impressive line-up of speakers who share our concerns about the future of our children and our country. Among them were former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramasamy. Other speakers present were syndicated talk show host Dennis Prager, author Dr. James Lindsay, constitutional attorney, and author KrisAnne Hall, Congressman Byron Donalds, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, President of the Heritage Foundation Dr. Kevin Roberts, Director of the Coalition of Jewish Values Rabbi Yaakov Menken, and contributor for the New York Sun, Rebecca Sugar. Speeches can be viewed here: momsforliberty.org/summit23/.

     Assuredly, the only evidence of “hate and the extremism” we witnessed, existed outside the Marriott hotel where the event was held. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left we were harassed by an organized group of angry unhinged leftwing protesters intent on intimidating. They videoed us, yelled profanities at us, and called us bigots, fascists, and racists while holding signs with hateful, offensive messages. The vitriol did not stop there. The angry mob proceeded to vandalize the Museum of the American Revolution for graciously hosting an event for us. Clearly, the protesters lacked the awareness and soundness of mind to understand that Moms for Liberty members are fighting for the very freedom that gives them the right to protest.

     In closing, if fighting for the survival of America, standing up for the rights of parents, and protecting children from sexualization, sterilization, and indoctrination makes us haters or extremists, for such a time as this we will wear our stripes proudly. Help us to stoke the fires of liberty and save this generation of children.  Join the Queens County Chapter of Moms for Liberty.

For more information about Moms for Liberty go to momsforliberty.org

To join the Queens County Moms for Liberty chapter email Elena at moms4libertyqueensny@gmail.com

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