MILWAUKEE— Moms for Liberty has sparked controversy in Milwaukee ahead of the GOP presidential debate on Aug. 23. The group plans to hold a town hall meeting hours before the debate.

Moms for Liberty is an activist group with chapters across the country. The group's website says the group is "dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government."

What You Need To Know

  • Moms for Liberty is known as a right-wing activist group with chapters across the country

  • The group plans to hold a town hall meeting hours before the debate

  • The original location for that town hall was The Italian Community Center, but the center backed out of hosting it

  • The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) has been trying to prevent Moms for Liberty from securing a local venue for their town hall

The original location for that town hall was The Italian Community Center, but the center backed out of hosting it. As of right now, Moms for Liberty still has not found another venue to host.

“I know there’s been some scuttlebutt about Moms for Liberty losing their venue,” said Cindy Werner, a grandmother who oversees Milwaukee’s chapter. “People should be concerned about such things.”

Werner said she just wants what’s best for her grandchildren.  

“I was concerned about the education our younger children are getting, so that’s what made me get involved with Moms for Liberty,” she said.

The group first gained momentum by opposing COVID-era school shutdowns. More recently, it’s been criticized for pushing school policies that critics say are racist and anti-LGBTQ+.  

The Southern Poverty Law Center classified Moms for Liberty as a hate group.  

Werner, a Black woman, said that’s not her experience. 

“The majority of our members here are either Hispanic or Black,” she said.  "We do have white women and white men, but to say this group is racist, I think there’s a lack of understanding of what America is about.”

The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) has been actively trying to prevent Moms for Liberty from securing a local venue for its town hall.

"They want to come to the city of Milwaukee, and they want to teach individuals how to promulgate racism and transphobia and book banning on their local school boards,” said Amy Mizialko, President of MTEA.  

Separate from the Moms for Liberty town hall, there is also an event scheduled for Aug. 22 at The Pfister Hotel that’s called “School Board Training.” Another conservative group, The Leadership Institute, is behind that one. Though Moms for Liberty is not directly involved, the keynote speaker is Bridget Ziegler, the co-founder of Moms for Liberty. 

MTEA is fighting that event as well.

"It’s also a myth that parents don’t have agency and control over their child’s education,” Mizialko said.  "Parents work with educators to make decisions on a daily basis about what’s best for their child.”  

Mizialko and members of the MTEA are angry The Pfister has agreed to host the event.

The Marcus Corporation, which owns The Pfister, responded with this statement:

"The event that you are asking about is scheduled at The Pfister Hotel and was never booked at Saint Kate. It is important to know that all hotels are subject to public accommodation laws that prohibit the denial of services based upon characteristics, opinions or beliefs. As a hotel and meeting venue, we accommodate guests from a wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints. Providing such accommodations should not be seen as support for any particular set of beliefs.”

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the Saint Kate hotel, which is also owned by The Marcus Corporation, backed out of hosting the school board training last week. The error has been corrected. (Aug. 17, 2023)