Dear Friend,
Mother’s Day is a BIG day… a day of celebration, of love, of remembrance,
of flowers, and maybe of a little dancing as we laugh, hug, cry, and
possibly even rage out our feelings… [ [link removed] ]and also a day when we each can
take some fast, persistent, powerful, effective action together.
To fire you up, the MomsRising team got together recently, and we made a
special Mother’s Day video that we think you’ll enjoy and that captures
our work together. [ [link removed] ]We hope you’ll watch it, check out our dance moves
and the topic issues on our signs, and that it’ll inspire you to keep
fighting for the change our world needs.
[ [link removed] ]Moms Marching Video with Play Button
Even as we dance to celebrate the joy of our movement and of our
appreciation of you, our message today is a serious one. Motherhood in
America is in trouble – and as we celebrate and remember the moms who’ve
inspired us on this Mother’s Day, we also, as all eyes are on moms on this
one special day, raise the very serious complexities of being a mother in
our nation everyday:
* It’s serious because childcare still costs more than college in most
states—and most childcare programs don’t even take infants under 6
weeks old.^1 That means that even if you can afford childcare, you’re
still out of luck if you’re one of the 1 in 4 moms who have to go back
to work within two weeks of a new baby arriving.^2 Despite the fact
that virtually every other nation has some form of paid family/medical
leave after a new baby arrives, we don’t.^3
* Serious because care workers (most of whom are moms) are some of the
lowest paid workers in our nation.^4 Impossible because moms, who are
6 out of 10 of the people who need and have abortions, are facing
dangerous and drastic restrictions on their ability to decide if and
when their family grows.^5
* Serious because becoming a mom is increasingly dangerous as shown by
the CDC reporting a 40% spike in moms dying before their first
Mother’s Day, and that Black women are 3 times as likely to die in
childbirth.^6 Impossible because being a mom is now a greater
predictor of wage and hiring discrimination than gender—and due to
structural racism, moms of color experience increased wage hits to the
extent that Latina moms earn just 46 cents, and Black moms just 52
cents, to a white dad’s dollar.^7
* And it’s serious because when our children come into this impossible
situation, we are all forced to sit with deep fear for them when they
go to school, to the movies, to the park, or out in the world because
guns are now the leading cause of childhood death in America where the
right to bear arms overrides the right to raise our children in
safety.^8
[ [link removed] ]You know what happens when there are serious problems?
Moms dance, moms take action, mom RISE!
We rise because moms work hard every day of the year and deserve leaders
in every political party who have our back in the moments of celebration
like Mother’s Day, and also in the quiet exhausted moments too. Having our
backs means advancing the policies that give us the tools to build a good
life for ourselves, for our children, and for our children’s children –
and to lift the economy at the same time. We know how to solve the care
crisis we collectively face.
[ [link removed] ]* That’s why we’re inviting YOU to reach out to Congress with us on
this Mother’s Day, a day when all eyes are on moms, to urge leaders to
support moms and families every day.
What are moms rising for? Moms are rising for our Freedom Agenda:
Moms are rising for quality, affordable child care, and for aging and
disability services. For paid family and medical leave when a new child
arrives or a serious illness strikes. For medications and health care,
including mental health services, we can afford. For the freedom to make
our own decisions about if, and when, we grow our families without
interference from politicians.
Moms are rising to make childbirth safe for everyone. To welcome
immigrants with dignity and respect. To invest in communities instead of
prisons. To have all our votes counted. For our children and families to
live without gun violence, community violence, and police violence. For
the wealthy and mega-corporations to pay their fair share.
Moms are rising to advance programs that unite and lift us all – and to
make clear that well-funded efforts by a vocal minority to divide us and
take away our freedoms through censorship, book bans, health care
denials and more do not provide the solutions we want or need. We know
the solutions that will lift our nation and put families first.
[ [link removed] ]We invite YOU to reach out to Congress with us on the day when all eyes
are on moms to tell leaders to have our backs all year long.
As we rise, we celebrate the work of motherhood and parenting – and we
share our stories. Early this week we asked you to share stories about
being a mom, or in honor or memory of a mom, and hundreds of you shared
amazing stories - like this one from Aaliyah in CT:
“My mom is my inspiration. She has always sacrificed so that my sister
and I would have opportunities that she did not, and we did. When I had
to go back to work after three months of paid maternity leave and one
month of non-paid maternity leave, my mom watched my twins five days a
week so I could go back to work full-time. If I lived in Canada, the UK,
and 90 plus other countries I would have not had to ask her for that
type of support. A year plus of free daycare from mom. Her generosity
saved us a lot and still does as she continues to help me raise Akilah
and Zak. My mom is a class act, and I will forever be grateful for all
she has done and continues to do for me. Happy Mother's Day!”
And stories like this one from Rosalie in FL:
"My father was in the military and we were frequently relocating to
other Army bases. My mother had 5 children to get ready to relocate when
needed. At times this involved transfers to other countries. Mom was
amazing. Wherever we went she would get involved with assisting children
in need. A true inspiration!"
It’s our stories, our experiences, our voices that fuel our movement for
change.
So in honor of Mother’s Day, and of the hard work of moms and caregivers
across our nation, please rise with us today, and every day by sharing
this action link with friends and family [ [link removed] ]– and also by taking 30
seconds on this Mother’s Day to watch our video and then take action
yourself.
Thank you for ALL you do, and we know you do so much.
- Kristin, Amanda, Amber, Beatriz, Beth, Brenna, Claudia, Dede, Diana,
Diarra, Donna, dream, Elyssa, Felicia, Gina, Gloria, Hanna, Jenny,
Jessica, Jordan, Joy, Julia, Kady, Karen, Keisha, Kelle, Kelsey, Lauren,
Leanne, Linda, Lisa, Lucrecer, MacKenzie, Maggie, Mandy, Monifa, Nadia,
Namatie, Nancy, Nate, Nina, Reshonna, Ruby, Ruth, Selina, ShaRanda,
Sheila, Sue Anne, Tasmiha, Taylor, Tina, Wendy, and Xochitl
P.S. Mother’s Day is a perfect time to support our movement with a gift to
MomsRising Together. [ [link removed] ]You can honor a mom who inspires you in big or
small ways, or memorialize a mom you love - and pick a beautiful e-card to
send instantly to the recipient of your choice. Don’t want to dedicate
your gift or send a card? [ [link removed] ]Click here to make a Mother’s Day gift
without a dedication.
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