- Groups opposing Moms for Liberty plan to protest a storytime event in Nazareth later this month
- It's for middle-school-aged children and older
- It's about the U.S. Constitution
NAZARETH, Pa. - A children's storytime hour at the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity is drawing a protest because the event is being sponsored by the Northampton chapter of Moms for Liberty.
The event, planned for 11 a.m. Oct. 14, includes local author Rebecca Price Janney teaching middle school and older students about the creation of the U.S. Constitution from Martha Washington's perspective. Attendees are encouraged to wear period costumes.
Moms for Liberty is a conservative group founded in Florida in 2021. It was described as "extremist" earlier this year by the civil rights group the Southern Poverty Law Center because it advocates for removing library books and classroom material on Black history and LGBTQ+ topics.
Members of the Northampton County chapter have called for some books in the Nazareth Area School District to be restricted or removed, saying the books contained sexually explicit content — including Push by Sapphire, Sold by Patricia McCormick and Crank by Ellen Hopkins.
Price Janney said in an emailed statement that she writes and speaks about American history and has published 26 books for adults and children, including her series on Easton.
She said she supports Moms for Liberty's efforts to remove books they find "pornographic," especially from public libraries.
"We're just looking to peacefully assemble, and to demonstrate our opposition to not only Moms for Liberty, but the current policies that our library has as well as doesn't have."Stop Moms for Liberty Northampton County Facebook administrator April Gabriel-Ferretti
April Gabriel-Ferretti is the administrator of the Facebook page Northampton County Pa Stop Moms for Liberty and the founder of the LGBTQ advocacy group Nazareth Together. She said the library should cancel the event.
"I think the pairing of Moms for Liberty, and any library for that matter, especially one who claims to be inclusive makes zero sense. I mean, after all, Moms for Liberty is actively pursuing book banning, denying historically accurate information pertaining to our nation's history. It just doesn't make sense."
Gabriel-Ferretti said she and others who share those views are planning to protest outside the library on Oct. 14.
"We're just looking to peacefully assemble, and to demonstrate our opposition to not only Moms for Liberty, but the current policies that our library has as well as doesn't have in place to keep groups like Moms for Liberty out."
"The Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity supports all persons' right to freedom of speech."Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity Board Treasurer Len Fodera
An emailed statement from library Board Treasurer Len Fodera said the library's current policy is to allow nonprofit groups to use meeting spaces.
The library understands the strong passions the event has raised, he said, but to deny permission because the library may disagree with groups' positions or beliefs could have a chilling effect on organizations.
The library doesn't endorse the positions or objectives of this group or any other group, Fodera said.
"The Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity supports all persons' right to freedom of speech," Fodera said. "To quote Justice William Brennan. 'If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that [we] may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.'"
Moms for Liberty Northampton chapter Vice Chair Aly Warner did not respond to a request for comment.
