Harnessing the power of motherhood is a useful- and necessary- weapon in the fight against racism and inequality.
With the nation facing a long overdue reckoning on the topic of race, activism against racism, discrimination, and police brutality is in overdrive.
It is manifesting in a multitude of ways, from marching in streets all across the world to curating anti-racist reading lists, donating to justice-focused organizations (Black Lives Matter,The Bail Project, and the Know Your Rights Camp, to name a few), centering Black businesses, and calling out bigotry to hold perpetrators accountable.
Activism is also taking form in households across the nation as mothers mobilize to wield another long-standing, powerful weapon in the war for equality- motherhood.
As mothers and mother-figures, we possess a unique power and influence when it comes to our children and how they view the world. They initially look to us to determine what is right and wrong, good or bad, acceptable and unacceptable.
Some may feel that shielding their children from the realities of racism and discrimination is in their best interests- however, when you take into account that:
2- children of color do not have the luxury of being ignorant to racism, as they
experience its effects early on ( I was called the n-word at seven years old, my mother at six),
it makes sense to suggest that mothers of all colors, backgrounds, and beliefs should be taking the initiative to introduce and explain the concepts of race, inequality, and prejudice to their children, while continually educating themselves and checking their own biases.
Wanting to raise empathetic, productive, anti-racist humans means accepting that activism is an essential part of motherhood. And luckily, there are numerous resources for mothers who are looking to effectively use their power to influence generations for a better- and more equal- tomorrow.
Below is a short list of organizations, blogs and lists I personally utilize that harness the power of motherhood to advocate for a more just society for ALL our children:
1. Mothering Justice- Through advocacy, leadership development, voter empowerment, and promoting family-friendly advocacy, Mothering Justice raises the voices of mothers and helps them become policy makers and shapers. The overall goal of this organization is to empower a well-organized group of mothers that can engage fellow mothers and law makers around a variety of issues that affect working families.
2. Embrace Race- Embrace Race, identifies, organizes – and, as needed, creates – the tools, resources, discussion spaces, and networks we need to meet 4 goals:
Nurture resilience in children of color
Nurture inclusive, empathetic children of all stripes
Raise kids who think critically about racial inequity
Support a movement of kid and adult racial justice advocates for all children
3. Mamademics- An informational, unfiltered blog focused on wife, mom, and doctoral student Danielle Slaughter's merging of motherhood and academia
4. Moms Rising- Educates the public and mobilizes grassroots actions to bring the voices and real world experiences of women and mothers straight to local, state, and nation leaders.
5. Anti-racism book for kids ( a list)
Looking for additional ways to educate yourself and support the movement? Check out this poster.
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