How the national Moms for Liberty organization got its start and more things to know

The Hamilton County chapter of Moms for Liberty generated national attention this week after its inaugural newsletter was published with a front-page quote attributed to Adolph Hitler.

An image of the newsletter with the quote from a 1935 Nazi rally — "He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future" — was posted on the group's Facebook page Wednesday. Late Wednesday night, the front page image was updated to include "context" for the Hitler quote.

It's not the first time: 3 times this quote by Adolf Hitler was used publicly in recent history

"The quote from a horrific leader should put parents on alert," the update says. "If the government has control over our children today, they control our country's future. We The People must be vigilant and protect children from an overreaching government."

There was no explanation why that context was not included in the original version. Late Thursday morning, they issued an apology and posted a third version without the quote or "context."

Here are five things to know about Moms for Liberty:

Group got its start during the pandemic

Moms of Liberty is a national organization founded during the pandemic, initially focusing on ending COVID-19 restrictions in schools. It formally organized on Jan. 1, 2021. It claims to have since expanded to least 45 states and nearly 300 chapters.

According to Indiana Secretary of State records, the national group and two local chapters are registered to operate in Indiana — the one in Hamilton County and another in Allen County.

'Your Hitler rally cry is repulsive': Reactions to Hamilton County parent group

Critics say Moms for Liberty is divisive; members say it empowers parents

Founded in Florida, Moms for Liberty claims to be a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to parental rights in schools and promoting liberty.

But the group's advocacy tactics — deemed by some as controversial, disruptive and divisive — have helped rally far-right conservatives in efforts to expand book bans and purge education curriculums of sex education, LGBTQ issues, mentions of systemic racism, discrimination and so-called critical race theory. Critical race theory — graduate-level coursework on system racism in the legal system — is not taught in public schools.

Critics have also accused Moms for Liberty members of using bullying and intimidating tactics as they monitor school school board agendas and campaign for local school board seats. Leadership denied the accusations, saying it has called for its members to be "joyful warriors."

Ties to the Republican Party

Co-founders Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich are former school board members from nearby counties in Florida. According to the Washington Post, they founded the organization after Descovich was unseated in a Republican district by a candidate who campaigned against her opposition to mask mandates and teacher pay raises. Justice had step away from her seat.

Earlier: Moms for Liberty's Hamilton County chapter apologizes for quoting Hitler in newsletter

They teamed with Republican activist Marie Rogerson to form Moms of Liberty. Since its Florida founding, the group has been credit with bringing new voters to the Florida GOP and accused of aligning with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president, and is campaigning on an "anti-woke" agenda.

Moms for Liberty has also received money from several far-right and Republican groups including Publix grocery chain heiress and Republican mega donor Julie Fancelli who helped finance one of the rallies that led up to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

It's been labeled a hate group

In its annual Year in Hate & Extremism report, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed Moms for Liberty as a hate group, calling it a reactionary anti-student inclusion group and comparing it to pro-segregationists parents groups that formed in response to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education which resulted in the integration of public schools.

"Like many other hard-right groups, these reactionary anti-student inclusion groups are constantly painting themselves as an oppressed class, while vilifying those discriminated against," the SPLC says.

Report chronicles Confederate flag controversy

The Current, a publication which covers Carmel, Zionsville, Westfield and other communities, published a story in January 2022 about objections to a photo the local Moms for Liberty chapter released publicly. The photo showed several women in front of a banner similar to the original flag used by the Confederate States of America.

Paige Miller, the Hamilton County chapter chair, denied the allegation, telling the publication the design did not represent or show support for the Confederacy. Experts contacted by the Current offered opposing views about the possible Confederate connection to the banner.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Five things to know about conservative parents group Moms for Liberty