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 able to learn and if our kids aren’t learning then we are going to have a lost generation. If they are prevented from learning, then we are all going to lose.”
Dewey should know. The Chester County mother of three fought a proposed book ban in her local school district not too long ago, one that hit very close to home.
“In 2021, in my school district, there was a proposed ban of a few books,” Dewey said. “These books all had LGBTQ+ characters or were written by LGBTQ+ authors or had material about the LGBTQ+ community; I have a kid who is part of that community and it felt really, really personal to me. So I got involved. I knew I had to stand up and say something.”
It was the first time Dewey fought a book ban and it inspired her to join an organization that shared her values. Dewey is now the Pennsylvania state program director of the Red Wine and Blue, a community of over 500,000 suburban women across the country who organize to fight extremism in their communities. Due to the efforts of extremist organizations like Moms for Liberty, best known for pushing book bans, harassing teachers and school board members, and supporting anti-LGBTQ laws, the need for organizations such as Dewey’s is more necessary than ever.
Read more about Red, Wine & Blue’s Ronna Dewey and the complete article at keystonenewsroom.com