Why we wrote this article:
We believe voters deserve to know how closely two candidates for the Akron Board of Education align with Moms for Liberty, a national organization that is both influential and controversial.
“I pledge to honor the fundamental rights of parents including, but not limited to the right to direct the education, medical care, and moral upbringing of their children. I pledge to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government.” — Moms for Liberty’s Parent Pledge for candidates and elected officials
In recent weeks, Akron Board of Education President Carla Jackson and fellow school board candidate Cynthia Blake signed this parent pledge authored by Moms for Liberty, a national organization that opposes LGBTQ+ and racially inclusive school curriculum.
The organization has evolved from pushing back against COVID precautions to advocating for abolishing of the Department of Education, fighting against the “woke indoctrination” of students in public schools and banning books in school libraries.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks activities of hate groups and domestic extremists, has categorized Moms for Liberty as far-right extremists — a label the group rejects. When approached by Signal Akron, Jackson and Blake said they were unaware of the organization’s national reputation.
Neither plans to retract their pledge.
The episode underscores the ways an increasingly divided national political scene has created a push for partisan endorsements at the local level, even in a school board race where party affiliations are not declared on the ballot.
Cherie Strachan, the director of the University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, said pledges and endorsements are good ways for voters to quickly ascertain information about candidates, especially in a crowded Akron school board race.
Strachan added that it’s unsurprising to see partisanship make its way into the nonpartisan public school board elections, given the political divide nationally.
“I think by now many people are aware that Moms for Liberty has a particular agenda,” she said.
Jackson and Blake are among the eight candidates vying for seats on the Akron Board of Education in the Nov. 4 election.
Why Akron school board candidates are standing by their Moms for Liberty pledges
Jackson said after Monday’s school board meeting she would look into the organization’s background. (Before Signal Akron inquired about her signing the pledge, Jackson said friends she respected asked her why she chose to sign.) She later submitted a written statement that took a stand against hateful ideology while underlining her long-held support for parents’ rights.
“I signed this pledge because I believe parents should have a meaningful voice in their children’s education,” Jackson wrote. “The pledge reflects principles I fully support: that families deserve transparency, input and partnership in decisions that affect their children’s learning and well-being.”
Jackson, who also serves as the head of middle school academics at Emmanuel Christian Academy, did not respond Tuesday when contacted for comment beyond her written statement.
Blake, an Akron Public Schools and University of Akron graduate, said she’s attended two or three local Moms for Liberty meetings this year, noting they open with prayer before starting their agenda.
“I just don’t see them as extremist here locally,” Blake said.
When asked about the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric the organization has shared nationally, she said she doesn’t care about students’ sexual orientation.
“All I’m asking for is reading, writing and arithmetic, not so much ideology,” Blake said. “I like the fact that they stand up for parental rights and parental accountability, transparency, strengthening parental involvement.”
Suggested Reading
What is Moms for Liberty?
Moms for Liberty, founded in Florida in 2021 in opposition to pandemic-era public health restrictions, has evolved into a national organization with hundreds of chapters across the country.
Aside from the policies Moms for Liberty advocates for, the organization and its leaders have voiced anti-LGBTQ rhetoric on social media and fought against education labor unions.
Blake said she didn’t see anything extremist in the Moms for Liberty Summit County chapter meetings she attended.
“Just because other people have labeled them extremist,” Blake said, “that’s not what I’m picking up from them.”