PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes at the Moms for Liberty National Summit
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PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes at the Moms for Liberty National Summit

By Catriona Ni Aolain — September 03, 2024 1 min read
Moms for Liberty member Aura Moody dances with others at the annual Moms For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty member Aura Moody dances with others at the conservative parents' rights organization's annual summit in Washington, on Friday, August 30, 2024.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
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Washington

At the Moms for Liberty national summit here last week, former President Donald Trump fielded questions from Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the conservative parents’ rights organization, on a range of issues.

Largely missing from the discussion: education.

Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 as a response to parental frustrations with schools’ COVID policies. In the years since, the group has expanded its agenda to supporting and electing conservative candidates to local school boards.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks with Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice during an event at the group's annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks with Tiffany Justice, a Moms for Liberty co-founder, during the group's national summit on Friday Aug. 30, 2024, in Washington. The former president spoke only briefly about issues directly related to education.
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Here’s a behind the scenes look at the event the night that Trump spoke.

California teacher and Moms for Liberty member Katie Gorman at the annual Mom’s For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2024. Gorman has taught for eight years. She joined Moms for Liberty two years ago after the Covid restrictions began in schools such as “the mask on our children and when they told teachers in California that they could not teach unless they were doing the testing and vaccinations.” Gorman has three children of her own and worries about their future education.
Katie Gorman, a teacher in California who is also a member of Moms for Liberty, attends the group's summit in Washington, on Friday, August 30, 2024. Gorman has taught for eight years. She joined Moms for Liberty two years ago after Covid restrictions began in schools such as “the mask on our children and when they told teachers in California that they could not teach unless they were doing the testing and vaccinations.” Gorman has three children of her own and worries about their future education.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
Moms for Liberty member Cristiane Mersch snacks and looks through the displays at the annual Mom’s For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty member Cristiane Mersch snacks and looks through the displays at the summit.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
A Moms for Liberty member sports her pin on her bright red jacket at the annual Mom’s For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2024.
A summit attendee sports a Moms for Liberty pin on her lapel.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
Attendees at the Moms For Liberty Joyful Warriors Summit in Washington, D.C., Aug. 30, 2024.
Attendees at the Moms for Liberty summit, which ended with an appearance from former President Donald Trump who affirmed his commitment to parents' rights in schools.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
A Moms for Liberty member waits in line while clutching two ‘Make America Great Again’ hats at the annual Mom’s For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2024.
A Moms for Liberty member waits in line while clutching two ‘Make America Great Again’ hats. The group is a big supporter of former President Donald Trump's presidential candidacy.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
Former President Donald J. Trump and Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice greet the audience at the annual Mom’s For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2024. He was the final keynote speaker of the day.
Former President Donald Trump and Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice greet the audience at the summit.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week
Former President Donald J. Trump ends stands to acknowledge the crowd at the end annual Mom’s For Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2024. He was the final keynote speaker of the day.
Former President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd at the Moms for Liberty summit where he spoke for more than an hour but said very little about education and schools, which is the group's core issue.
Lawren Simmons for Education Week

Catriona Ni Aolain
Managing Editor, Visual and Immersive Experiences,  Education Week
Catriona Ni Aolain is a managing editor for Education Week who oversees visuals and immersive experiences.

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