CANCELLED IN BENICIA
FREE SPEECH MATTERS
Is Benicia a town that values free speech?
IF YOU DISAGREE WITH SOMEONE, WOULD YOU CONTACT THEIR EMPLOYER AND DEMAND THEY BE FIRED?
I'm the mom of an
elementary schooler, a middle schooler, and a high schooler. On April 20, I spoke at a school board meeting to express my concerns about the inappropriate new sex-ed curriculum being taught to 10 and 12 year olds. Then the bullies in town began a campaign to destroy me.
April 20, 2023:
I spoke at a Benicia Unified School District (BUSD) meeting to disagree with the new sex-ed curriculum. You can view the video, starting at 44.36, by clicking here.
You can also read more about the new sex-ed curriculum by clicking here.
April 27-28, 2023:
Letters were printed in the Benicia Herald and the Times Herald, mentioning my profession and company name, calling me racist, homophobic, and transphobic. I have never met the writer (a former Benicia City Council candidate) and no one from either publication contacted me. These letters were complete lies and terribly damaging to my business. You can read one of the letters here.
April 28, 2023:
The Progressive Democrats of Benicia Treasurer wrote to my corporate headquarters demanding they respond to her by May 1 or she would publish defamatory items about me and the company. You can read the letter here.
May 1, 2023:
My company, Compass, informed me I could no longer do business as a Compass agent. They confirmed it had nothing to do with my production and business success, but simply that they "decided to part ways."
May 1, 2023:
Progressive Democrats of Benicia Treasurer Nathalie Christian sends written confirmation to the “Benicia Resist!” wing of the Progressive Democrats of Benicia stating “Today Compass confirmed that they and Ms. Roberson have parted ways” and characterizing me as a racist and a bigot. You can read the "Benicia Resist" comments here.
May 1, 2023:
Several hateful videos were made about me, including this one, which begins at the at the 3.20 mark: View it here
Should I have not spoken up as a mom?
If we cannot speak our minds as Americans, we have failed our country. By not standing up we are abdicating our responsibility to do what is right, which is an offense to everyone who has served our country (and many of us have active military and veterans in our families). Who are we if we don’t have opinions as Americans? As Americans we are duty bound to have opinions and to stand up for them. We should be leaders who stand up for what is right. If we do not, we are worthless puppets subject to whoever the scariest bully is. And apparently in Benicia the scariest bully is the Progressive Democrats of Benicia.
Additionally, we should fiercely protect the right of everyone to have their own opinion. Had another parent stood up at that school board meeting and advocated for teaching the new sex-ed curriculum, I would never contact their place of employment to demand they be fired! I may disagree with their opinion, but I respect their right to have a different opinion. That is one of the greatest and most important freedoms we have as Americans.
Our founders valued freedom of speech so much that it is protected in the First Amendment to our Constitution. In the spirit of freedom and independence, I encourage you to stand up for what you believe, and to be courageous despite the haters and the bullies.
Let’s be kind to each other and open to hearing opinions that may differ from our own.
The people who wrote to the newspapers and to Compass intentionally interfered with my business by publicly stating I'm a bigot who judges clients by a "racial/sexual purity test” and that I have "hate for transgender kids and equity-seeking Black Americans" which is absolutely false and completely fabricated. What they did is illegal. But because of anti-SLAPP laws in California, I cannot protect myself or go after them for destroying my career, because their words are considered political rhetoric.
If concerned parents can be labeled as bigots and Nazis in the local newspapers because they disagree with new curriculum at a school board meeting, what does that say about our community?
