The Cost of a Label
As we woke up this morning to news that, once again, a radical lunatic stormed an event intending to kill the President of the United States and his cabinet, with hundreds of people in the room at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, many are asking: why?
The answer is very simple: the power of labels. This tactic of assigning labels such as “Fascist,” “Hitler,” or even “Hate Group” has been used for years to silence, shame, alienate, and punish.
Take for example the news story that broke this week; the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was indicted on eleven counts, for wire and bank fraud among other things. But the real lasting damage they have caused has a much broader and deadly impact.
Let me explain from first-hand experience the power labels have on ordinary people.
Over the last three years, the SPLC has caused extensive, tangible, and measurable harm to Moms for Liberty and to the thousands of moms, dads, grandparents, and community leaders who have stood courageously with us.
When the news broke of multiple legal indictments connected to the SPLC this past week, journalists have repeatedly asked me the same question:
“How did the SPLC harm you and Moms for Liberty?”
My honest answer is this: They used the power of a label to the fullest extent possible.
For three years, we have lived under the shadow of labels the SPLC and others have assigned to our organization. They labeled us anti-government extremists, fascist, bigots, hateful and more.
Those labels cause actual damage, and it wasn’t just to me. It was every chapter chair, vice chair, secretary, member and candidates we endorsed. It was every parent who simply stood up and spoke truth in their community. The Southern Poverty Center labeled Charlie Kirk and added him to their “Hate Map” shortly before his assassination.
America needs to know that labels matter.
A label may seem like just a word, but when it comes from an organization with financial means and historical impact like the Southern Poverty Law Center, words carry power, influence and political reach.
The SPLC uses these labels as weapons, and these weapons have real consequences.
I could share thousands of heartbreaking stories. Court records showing these labels being used as a weapon against M4L mothers in custody battles. Mothers facing threats to their professional licenses with complaints filed against them that they belong to a SPLC identified “Hate Group.” Members that have lost careers, jobs, positions and more. Our members have lost friendships, family and opportunities. Chapters have been denied meeting spaces, community event participation and have been doxed, harassed, bullied and threatened.
Our organization has endured expensive and repeated international cyberattacks.
All of this because the Southern Poverty Law Center used its platform to try to define who we are and too many people believed them.
Moms for Liberty chapters and other parental rights groups make up over half of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Hate Map.” That means since the label was placed on us in June of 2023, we have been their biggest target.
For the average person to understand what this means, I’d like to invite you to take a look with me.
Just three weeks after Moms for Liberty was added to the SPLC’s “Hate Map,” hundreds of protesters descended on our National Summit.
They screamed, cursed and intimidated mothers and their children as they entered our event. The night before, windows at the museum were smashed, and vandalism scarred the property. It took hundreds of Philadelphia Police Department officers to keep our attendees safe.
The morning of our event kickoff, our security team pulled me aside to share that the threats on our event were escalating. The weight of the responsibility for the safety of 650 of our moms and their families is indescribable. Also, the next day, we had major national leaders scheduled to speak, including President Donald Trump, FL Gov Ron DeSantis and Ambassador Nikki Haley.
The questions were asked, could we continue with our Summit and keep everyone safe too?
The answer was yes but at a financial cost. The museum increased their security, the hotel invested in more security, the Philadelphia Police invested in more security and of course we invested in more security.
In that moment of pressure and uncertainty, I looked around at the moms attending our national summit. They traveled from across the country to come together to celebrate America in the city where Liberty was born, Philadelphia. They came to learn how to be more effective citizens, how to run for office and engage with elected officials in a positive, productive way. They came to help fulfill the Moms for Liberty mission: to save America by unifying, educating and empowering parents. I was reminded of the Ronald Reagan quote, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
The decision to continue our Summit was intentional and because we stayed, we learned a powerful lesson.
Labels can be overcome when Americans open their hearts and minds and look past the labels.
At the conclusion of our 3-day Summit, the same hotel staff that had been protesting our arrival just a week prior stood and applauded our members as we departed. There were tears and hugs because after spending days together everyone was able to look past the labels and embrace humanity.
https://x.com/TinaDescovich/status/2047848512025403599?s=20
Truth always has a way of breaking through lies.
The attacks on our organization have continued over the last three years. I have no idea if the SPLC and others will be held legally accountable for the harm they have caused. But I do know that America deserves justice.
I also know that we can overcome labels and hate if we choose goodness, if we choose truth, and if we choose humanity.
- Tina Descovich
CEO & Co-Founder