For the last 30 years, my wife and I raised two wonderful kids here in Weaverville. They are successful, well-adjusted and, most importantly, happy. Both are products of the North Buncombe school system, and while they were usually the only Jewish kids in their class, my wife and I gave them a strong cultural identity because of what we taught them at home. All in all, we’re pretty proud of the job we did as parents.
So, imagine my surprise upon learning we are not the only ones charged with parenting our kids. I recently read that Moms for Liberty has started a Buncombe County chapter; this is the same group the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled as anti-government extremists. In its report, The Year in Hate & Extremism 2022, the SPLC characterized Moms for Liberty’s primary goals as follows: “to fuel right-wing hysteria and to make the world a less comfortable or safe place for certain students — primarily those who are Black, LGBTQ or who come from LGBTQ families.”
I must say, I find it more than a little disconcerting when a very small but strident minority with extreme views feels entitled to impose their views on the majority. If those within the M4L group do not like how some people choose to live their lives, OK. If they don’t like particular books, they don’t have to read them or allow their kids to read them. They do not, however, have the right to make those decisions for the rest of us. Every parent has the right to raise their kids in the manner they think best. They do not have the right to raise anyone else’s kids.
— Alan Silverman
Weaverville
