Policies that end up culling library shelves and policing bathrooms don’t happen in a vacuum, and the concerted efforts of certain groups are no secret to longtime advocates in PAWInS.
Localized social media groups on Facebook and other platforms can be a popular starting point for stirring outrage over books or to push for “harmful” policies, according to Ronna Dewey, the Pennsylvania chapter head of Red, Wine & Blue, a kind of national counter group to the conservative Moms For Liberty.
“Maybe they heard something from a friend in another school district or saw something online and they start saying things like, ‘Oh, do we have these books in our school? We need to start looking,’” Dewey said.