07/06/2024
I have had several people send me this screenshot today wherein it seems Shannon Adcock and Awake-il are seemingly trying to take credit for the fight and removal of masks off of children in February 2022. That is unfortunate and something I am particularly sensitive about, so I am going to set the record straight.
There were over 140 parent groups across the state who came together and sued JB Pritzker. Shannon Adcock was one of those parent groups from Indian Prairie School District #204. Shannon and her parent group played no more, or less, of a role in this legal process than the other hundreds of parents who came together and defended their children.
I was honored to be the lawyer who represented them, but even my role was small as compared to the courage and effort it took for all of those parents to step up and publicly put their name on a document and sue the most powerful political figure in the state. To that end, the hundreds of parents and thousands of children who made that stand in a courtroom in February 2022, most of whose names none of you will ever know, all shared equally in that successful fight for the rights of the children of this state.
So with all due respect to the work that Shannon and Awake-il continue to try and do in this state, I will just say please don't be falsely taking credit for something which you had no more, or less, involvement in than the other hundreds of courageous parents. Awake-il didn't win anything. The hundreds of parents, including Shannon Adcock individually, who signed the lawsuit were the winners. The thousands of children who had courage to walk into school the next day, whether their parents were on the lawsuit or not, who found the courage and said I have had enough, were the winners.
I was not a winner. My role was small compared to the parents and children's roles, and I will never take credit for anything. Awake-il played no role in that lawsuit whatsoever and it's sad the organization would seemingly it as a marketing tactic, or to otherwise bolster their credibility.
I would hope they retract that whole social media post as it is in very bad taste and disrespects all those who came together.
