“Moms for Liberty has been classified as a far-right extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and their whole tactic is to not have children feel safe and secure and welcomed in schools,” Ronna Dewey, the Pennsylvania program director for Red, Wine...
Ronna Dewey
The PA mother who’s standing up against book bans—and the Dems standing with her
Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for proposed book bans in academic libraries and public schools. This is a story about reading, but let’s start with some math: 644.That’s the number of book bans in Pennsylvania public school districts between July 2021 and June...
Woman’s rally held in Schuylkill County
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — "We raise our voices loud and clear! We raise our voices loud and clear! We won't stay quiet any longer! We won't stay quiet any longer," chanted Claire Kempes a member of Schuylkill Indivisible and Schuylkill County Democratic Women's League....
After fighting ‘extremist’ school boards, PA advocates network to help fight other efforts
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...
Defending Free Expression: How to Fight Back Against Book Bans in Pennsylvania
When Ronna Dewey hears about a potential book ban, the first thing she thinks of is the human cost. “We all want to make sure that we are living in a community where all people feel supported and welcomed,” Dewey said. “If kids aren’t feeling that way, they won’t be...
‘Fight book bans’: Central York parent-planned read-a-thon will feature banned books
In addition to guest readers, nonprofit Red Wine and Blue will have their "Banned Bookmobile" parked outside the event. Red Wine and Blue, started after the 2018 midterm election, operates out of suburban swing districts in the United States and works to defeat...
Students, authors fight censorship in PA schools
About four hours before the Central Bucks School District passed a new library policy in July, local high school junior Lily Freeman warned a crowd of about 100 what would follow. The policy, passed by a 6-3 vote, targeted books with explicit or implied depictions of...
At ‘visibility rally’ members of trans community call for equality and safety in schools, workplace
Transgender people across Pennsylvania and the nation have in recent months been the target of some of the fiercest pushback and civil rights restrictions, but on Friday, Rhea Morningstar was in a celebratory mood. “We are here to celebrate,” said Morningstar, a...
Pennsylvania voters want to protect freedom, especially to control their own bodies
By Ronna Dewey Pennsylvania House Republicans are blatantly trying to hold on to their power and push their out-of-touch agenda. Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly supported Democrats up and down the ballot, electing a 102-101 Democrat majority in the state House. But...
Recent Posts
Okay, But Why Do Billionaires Have Our Data?
Americans are worried about the privacy of our personal information. We check our settings on social media and monitor our credit cards to protect our identity. But as more billionaires are given powerful roles and expensive contracts with the government, they’re accessing and sharing our information across agencies, raising new privacy concerns we should all be aware of.
Why do billionaires have so much of our data? And why isn’t the government protecting us?
Watch This: The Climate Crisis Is a Health Crisis
We’re not doomed yet, but we’ve wasted a lot of time. That’s one of the takeaways we learned from meteorologist and climate change communicator, Chris Edwards, when he joined us recently for our virtual event, Climate Change 101: What You Need to Know. Chris talked...
Okay, But Why Does Your Garden Matter?
Summers past were filled with the sounds of buzzing bees and fluttering monarch butterflies, but it feels like we just don’t hear them anymore. It’s not your imagination – these essential pollinators are disappearing. Climate change and pesticides are killing off the creatures responsible for one in three bites of food we take, but there is an important action we can take to reverse this trend. It starts in our own backyard! We’re answering the question, Okay, but why does your garden matter?
Okay, But Why Are So Many People Talking about Trans Kids?
Transgender people, and especially transgender kids, have been in the news a lot lately. And a lot of that is because politicians have been super focused on them. In 2024, over 700 anti-trans bills were proposed – everything from regulating bathrooms and sports to laws prohibiting gender-affirming healthcare. And so far this year, over 900 anti-trans bills are under consideration across the country. The majority apply to kids, particularly in school, like laws that keep trans kids from playing sports. So why is this such a hot topic these days?
Read This: The Climate Crisis Is a Health Crisis
Thank you to our guest author this week, Dr. Alice Chen! Learn more about Dr. Chen below and follow her on Bluesky here. When I was a kid, summers meant riding our bikes around the neighborhood, lazing around outside watching clouds and ladybugs, and generally...