Since its founding in 2021, Moms for Liberty has become the most notorious and prolific political organization pushing for book bans at schools and libraries across the country.
“What Moms for Liberty isn’t doing is advocacy—it’s a takeover,” said Emily Amick, an attorney, social media influencer, and founder of political change nonprofit For Facts Sake. “I want to push you to think bigger about what we’re up against and how to fight it.”
Amick was the featured speaker at “Fight Book Bans: Frame the Debate, Fill the Seats, and Create Connections,” a June 25 session at the American Library Association’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. The session was the United for Libraries President’s Program of Gordon N. Baker, dean of libraries emeritus at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia.
“Book bans aren’t just about books,” said Amick, who stressed that censorship attempts are a tool of the white supremacist far-right to signal who does and doesn’t belong in society. “The thesis of my speech is: You can’t opt out of a culture war.”
Amick said the reason for Moms for Liberty’s success is its weaponization of motherhood to mobilize women who have long felt sidelined by traditional political discourse. “They’ve harnessed the power of social media,” she said. “They project the image of a grassroots movement, but in reality, they’re a well-orchestrated campaign.”
“And despite these sophisticated strategies of Moms for Liberty,” Amick added, “they’re pretty similar to the tactics used by book banners during the McCarthy era.”
What has made this singular group so powerful? Amick said Moms for Liberty excels at framing the debate, filling seats, and creating connections.
“[The group makes] us look like we’re against parents instead of for freedom,” Amick said. “They maintain this atmosphere of constant crisis. They realize people are easier to mobilize when they fear a threat to their way of life.”
That mobilization plays out in a staggering statistic: According to Amick, 30% of candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty won seats in 2022 elections.
To fight a well-funded network of book banners, Amick said libraries and their advocates need to engage in their own narrative-framing, seat-filling, and coalition-building.
“We need to connect with those who share our values,” Amick said. “Who in your community is doing the work and doing it well?” Partners could include American Civil Liberties Union chapters and local organizers as well as social media influencers and Facebook groups, she said. “A lot of people who aren’t traditionally involved in the movement want to be activated.”
Amick also offered seven tips to keep in mind when crafting anti-censorship messaging:
- Fragmented messaging doesn’t work on social media. You must repeat your message multiple times.
- It’s not about books; it’s about one core group of people trying to control everyone else.
- Say the things that seem obvious. What people in the library space know may not seem obvious to people who are hearing loud messages elsewhere.
- Repeating book banners’ terminology only reinforces their platform.
- Move beyond defense into offense. Don’t be afraid to do this with humor and pointing out how ridiculous book bans are.
- Don’t reply to DMs or comments. Calling out hypocrisy just incites backlash.
- Invest in messengers. Persuading people already on your side doesn’t help much.
Ultimately, Amick underscored the need for library supporters to turn to civic engagement in the way that their opposition has.
“We need to stop acting like nonpartisan means apolitical,” she said. “Fighting these extremist ideologies is so important and so critical.”
