Awake Illinois Turns 5 at the U.S. Capitol
- Shannon Adcock
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Wow! This week we weren’t just honoring 5 years of Awake Illinois advocacy — we were in Washington D.C. to stand alongside grassroots leaders who refuse to back to the SPLC hate and we filed 5 federal civil rights complaints to the U.S. Department of Justice.
This is our nonprofit mission in action.
In honor of our 5th anniversary, we just filed 5 new federal civil rights complaints with the Department of Justice against Illinois schools and the State Board of Education for systemic violations of Title IX and/or policies violating parental rights. For over a year, we've been working with families in each of these districts and are determined to continue advocating for federal protections of Illinois families. The complaints were submitted on May 18, 2026 to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon at the U.S. Department of Justice. These complaints are filed in direct parallel with the Justice Department's ongoing investigations-which we are supporting via THIS PORTAL-into 36 Illinois public school districts concerning gender ideology in Pre-K-12 schools.
The announcement was made at last week's livestream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJwIMrqIl3w&t=4751s at 1:19:11 with attorney Ajay Gupta who is filing federal lawsuits pro bono against 3 of the districts listed in our complaints.
Two days later, I had the honor of representing Awake Illinois at the House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate.”
Tyler O’Neil testified on how the SPLC has become a grifting, harmful organization that weaponizes the “hate” label against conservatives, Christians, and parents who simply want to protect their kids. See this tweet for detailed commentary.
During the hearing itself, our organization testimony was officially entered into the Congressional Record by Rep. Mark Harris (NC) — ensuring our message is now part of the official congressional record.
Ahead of the hearing, I stepped to the podium on the Capitol steps with a bold sign that read “END SPLC’S HATE.” I felt the weight of this moment and was determined to represent ALL of you who have stood boldly with us for your family and liberty. Surrounded by leaders from Moms for Liberty and other allies, I delivered this message:
“The SPLC’s strategy has failed. Their clear goal was to silence us and make us disappear… As you can see today, we are not going away. While the SPLC smears us, their credibility is collapsing…”
I also pointed out the outrageous hypocrisy: the SPLC has placed Awake Illinois on their “hate map” right next to the Ku Klux Klan — even though we were only a year old when they first targeted us. Yet the KKK has actually received money from the SPLC.
Watch the full Capitol steps press conference here (32 minutes):
Direct Moms For Liberty YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shjeaYtG028
Timestamps for easy navigation (click any time to jump straight to that speaker):
Shannon Adcock (Awake Illinois) – 28:39 ← Jump here for my full remarks (a portion was cut from the feed but full segment is at the top)
This is what 5 years of uncancellable advocacy looks like. We’ve grown from a small group of parents into a force that’s now filing federal complaints, submitting official letters into the Congressional Record, and representing Illinois advocacy at the U.S. Capitol.
But we’re not slowing down.The next House Judiciary hearing on the SPLC is in June, and we MUST have our full team back in the room. That’s why we’re launching our 5 for 5 Anniversary Challenge: In honor of our 5th anniversary and the 5 federal complaints we just filed, we’re asking every supporter to give $5 (or more) right now to fuel the fight. Your gift will directly help cover flights, hotels, and logistics so our team can be back in D.C. for the next hearing — keeping the pressure on the SPLC and protecting parental rights nationwide.
Will you join the 5 for 5 Challenge today and help get us back to D.C.?
Or mail a check to:
Awake Illinois
2020 Calamos Court #200
Naperville IL 60563
Every dollar raised in this 5 for 5 Challenge goes straight to uncancellable advocacy and representing YOU in Washington so we can keep exposing the truth and protecting kids.
Thank you for standing with us for these past 5 years — and for helping us make the next 5 even stronger. The fight continues, and with your help, we will be in D.C. again — louder and stronger than ever. While we'd love to host a 5th anniversary event this month, we're busy advocating and staying on mission. A celebration will have to wait. Stay tuned!
Onward,
Shannon Adcock
Founder, Awake Illinois
P.S. If you haven’t yet, watch the most recent livestream on the latest legal action supporting Title IX and parental rights along with our Department of Justice complaint announcement.