Children are human beings, not property owned by adults who gave birth to them. We need a movement that acknowledges and enforces the Constitutional rights of Amish and other children, such as Ultra-Orthodox Jewish, fundamentalist Christian, Jehovah’s Witness, and Native/Indigenous. Democracy The prevailing secular political force that continues to influence…

The educational and economic fates of Amish children don’t enter the public consciousness. Amish children aren’t part of the equation in the economic future of the United States. Part 2 of 3 — See This Is How to Grasp What Education in America Is Really About for Part 1 Economy …

The very first law about education in what is now the United States was all about making people literate enough to read the Christian Bible. Introduction In order to understand what education in the United States is really about, take a close look at the history, philosophy, and sociology of…

For the Amish, the 1972 US Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Yoder disputes were about retaining the ability to force a child to work for free and to keep the child ignorant of their rights as a US citizen. Making it about religion was a convenient cover. But for the…

The 1972 US Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Yoder, which specifically denies Amish American children the right to go to school past the 8th grade, is hailed as a landmark victory for religious liberty. But it actually strips children of their Constitutional rights, in the name of religious freedom for…

I spotted it after church services were over. Laura was playing with it. The white miniature-sized, plastic English doll with delicate features looked so pretty. I admired its tiny, beautiful brows with open eyes, its dainty nose and lips, and its cute defined hands and feet, the tiny fingers and…

I have no photographic evidence of my existence as an Amish child. Many years later, I learned that graveyards serve as the pictures of my history. They’re the photos of my past, the proof that my ancestors existed. Several years ago I happened upon a drive-through cemetery lying in an…

From rumspringa to language to identity, here are the lies you’ve been told Myth #3: Those who exit are “ex-Amish” or no longer Amish. The term “ex-Amish” is widely used to refer to those of us who have exited the Church, but there are many problems with that label. “Ex-Amish” implies that we’re no longer Amish, and that’s false. A change…

From rumspringa to language to identity, here are the lies you’ve been told Myth #1: Amish teens have the freedom to choose whether to remain inside the Church; that’s what rumspringa is for. Rumspringa as portrayed in pop culture is a myth that does untold damage to those of us stuck inside who want a different future. We don’t get a choice to not leave the Church; and we’re not…