A parent group in Washington D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood was torn apart by a disagreement over politics and neutrality. The Peanuts group, which had started as an informal WhatsApp chat, grew to have over 1,000 members and became known for its supportive community.
However, when a member asked about how to respond to the coming US election in support of Palestine, it sparked a heated debate. Some parents wanted to discuss politics within the group, while others believed it was best to keep the conversation out of the group’s focus on parenting.
The issue ultimately led to the creation of a separate subgroup called “Free Range” for activist-minded parents and the deletion of any political posts from the main chat. The board of Peanuts stated that its decision was to maintain neutrality, citing concerns about visa implications for immigrant members and security clearances for federal workers’ families.
Many former members, including some who were immigrants themselves, felt that the board’s actions were a betrayal of their trust and would drive them away from the group. Some created their own subgroup, “Parenting in Community,” which has maintained its focus on supporting parents while also addressing social justice issues.
The conflict highlights the complexities of drawing boundaries between politics and parenting, especially for groups with diverse perspectives. The decision to prioritize neutrality has sparked a larger debate about what it means to be an inclusive community and how to balance competing values.
As the two subgroups continue to coexist in different WhatsApp communities, parents are left to navigate their own relationships with the group they once called home.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2026/02/18/parenting-group-chat-politics-dc-petworth