Navigating the legal brawl between Governor Greg Abbott trying to prohibit mask requirements in schools on one side, and local authorities fighting to keep children safe on the other has pushed Texan mothers to the battleground.
Worried about her children’s safety as they return to school, Austin-Native Nancy Thompson launched a Facebook group to reach out to mothers who also shared her concerns regarding Governor Abbott’s policies.
After her showing up to the Texas State Capitol with a sign that read “Mother Against Greg Abbott” gained widespread support from mothers across Texas, the group that now carries the same name, was officially founded.
According to the San Antonio Express, it is one of many Facebook groups that have popped up in recent weeks during a state and national debate on whether schools should mandate masks, which have been used to inform parents on how to reach out to politicians and school board members and to organize local protests.
“I’m a mother against Greg Abbott, and sometimes you have to fight like a mother,” said MAGA founder, Nancy Thompson. “I just wanted somebody to know I was mad. COVID has been exhausting, and I’m just tired.”
Angered by Abbott’s decision to put their children at risk, parents from every corner of Texas have been organizing against him, additionally to protesting, some have joined forces to sue the governor.
Riki Graves, a Texan mother of an immunocompromised child who received a heart transplant as a newborn joined a pro-mask lawsuit, saying the protection of young people’s health should be prioritized.
“Kids are dying, the ICUs are full, and our government is not doing anything to protect school kids,” said Graves.
As reported by Business Insider, the lawsuit, filed on behalf of 14 immunocompromised children last week as an attempt to overturn Governor Greg Abbott’s order forbidding school boards from imposing mask mandates, names Abbott and officials from the Texas Education Agency as defendants.
Liana Benavides, who has two children attending Northeast ISD’s Johnson High School -where 291 cases among students were reported in just 5 days- has sent many letters and emails urging officials to mandate masks, so she decided to join the group in hopes of having a bigger voice.
“My life revolves around my children, and I do not appreciate Governor Abbott making them political pawns in his sick game; they’re human beings,” Benavides said.
