Why I Said “MAGA Hurts Kids” in Canton

Visit the Cherokee Tribune for more photos from the event.

On Thursday, August 21, Second Lady Usha Vance visited Cherokee Classical Academy in Canton to promote her “Summer Reading Challenge.” They bussed in kids for a photoshoot, and the politicians inside played their part for the cameras.

Inside, they painted a polished picture. Outside, we spoke to what was missing.

I stood with my neighbors holding a sign that read: “MAGA Hurts Kids.” Because it does.

Here’s what MAGA does:

• Bans books that erase Black history and LGBTQ+ stories.

• Starves public schools of funding while pumping money into Christian nationalist academies.

• Blocks school meals and pushes political propaganda instead of real learning.

This stop wasn’t about literacy. It was about laundering an extremist agenda through our schools.

And here’s something else I need to say: MAGA is not Republicanism. When I was younger, I was a Republican myself. Even at my furthest right, nothing I believed in looked like the cruelty and corruption of the Trump regime.

I believe in the values we were all taught to honor — freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all. MAGA rejects those. They believe in freedom only for the rich and powerful, and expect everyone else to serve them. They believe in “fairness” only for straight, white, conservative Christians, while others are crushed. They talk about “opportunity,” but only for people who fit their narrow view of who counts as human.

That’s not Republicanism. That’s not conservatism. And it’s certainly not democracy.

Atlanta News First reported from Canton and quoted me directly:

“You make me go to school for 12 years, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and telling me to be proud to be an American because at least we know we’re free, I’m going to take that very seriously.”

I meant it. Freedom isn’t just a line in a pledge. It means the freedom to read every story, the freedom for teachers to teach the truth, and the freedom for kids to grow up without political propaganda shoved into their classrooms.

As mayor of Woodstock, I won’t control the schools — but I will never be silent while children’s futures are under attack.

And let me be clear about one thing: this is a non-partisan election, and I’m running as a non-partisan candidate. My loyalty is to Woodstock and my values, not a party.

If I’m willing to stand on the sidewalk in Canton, you can trust I’ll stand up for Woodstock every single time.

Unplugged and Unbought.

— Martha Jean Schindler