WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation announced Thursday at its annual Resource Bank meeting that it awarded the 2022 Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship to Moms for Liberty, a group of devoted patriots and mothers dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.
Founded in January 2021 by Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, Moms for Liberty boasts more than 95,000 members in 37 states, and has been involved in some of the most significant policy debates on education, school choice, and empowering parents. The organization is also focused on ensuring children receive education and instruction on the principles of the American founding.
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts released the following statement on the award:
“At no time in American history has educating students and empowering parents been more critical than it is today. Loving, hardworking parents make our country the greatest nation in the history of the world, yet the radical left is openly trying to undermine the presence and power of parents across our country. We see this particularly in our schools, where government officials and teacher union bosses are doing everything possible to shut parents out and undermine their authority.
“I am so grateful for the work being done by Tiffany, Tina, and the thousands of other moms with Moms for Liberty who demonstrate parents are a force to be reckoned with. When conservatives stand together with parents, we will win the battles on the most fundamental issue—the centrality of the family to human flourishing. That’s something all Americans should strive to achieve. I am excited to watch Moms for Liberty continue to expand and influence education policy at all levels throughout our country.”
Accepting the award at Resource Bank, Descovich said:
“We are more than honored to be here today, to be invited to this wonderful event and to be honored with this amazing award. We know, Tiffany and I both know, that this award is not for us. … This is for our 200 chapter chairs that are working diligently, and our 95,000 members now that are fighting in their communities at the local level. There’s one thing Tiffany and I knew when we started this, and that’s when the government has overreached so much that they have inserted themselves in between parents and children, when policies and laws have been enacted to separate children from families, when that‘s allowed to happen, we’re done. That’s the last line of defense. We created Moms for Liberty because we are the last line of defense and we are so proud of all those that have stood up.”
The Salvatori Prize is given annually to an individual or organization that embodies and advances the virtues of the American Founding. It is given under the namesake of Henry Salvatori, who was an immigrant, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and dedicated conservative activist.
Previous recipients include the Washington Free Beacon, Tucker Carlson, Mollie Hemingway, Dr. Robert Jackson, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the Green and Hahns families, and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson.
