Happy Mothers Day to all those who have given birth and have been our first teachers. Happy Mother’s Day to all those who have stepped in, nurtured, taught, cared for and filled the important role of mother to those in need.
Every year I make the suggestion and will do so again.. Why don’t we take bold steps on this Mothers Day and move forward with a firm commitment to uphold and cherish the humanity of our moms? Can we start by refusing to call the mothers among us out their names? Can we refrain, pull back support and have zero tolerance for those who put hands on the mothers around us?
Such requests should be simple and a no brainer but sadly many resist and bring to the table all sorts of excuses as to why a mother’s humanity should not be fully recognized….On larger scale we see this as angry men 10 thousand miles away in Nigeria kidnapped over 300 girls as a way to make a political statement.. How scarred will these girls be when they one day become mothers? How traumatized are the mothers of those girls?
We see this amongst men who profess to be devout who sit in the halls of Congress in our Senate and in state legislatures who over and over again have voted to eliminate any and all safety net programs designed to help mothers who are often abandoned by angry, disgruntled men or men who are locked away. Today these men who sit in the halls of power will say Happy Mothers day to their own moms , wives and daughters and not blink an eye to the millions of moms in the country who will have to do without food stamps, decent housing, affordable child care etc..Thats gotta change…It’s not enough to say Happy Mothers Day to those in your family while oppressing the mothers of others…
Taking this closer to home, last night, today and tonight as you drive down San Pablo Ave or International Blvd here in Oakland, we will see young girls who will someday be mothers, forced to work street corners as sex traffickers after being brutalized, kidnapped and beaten. How many of us on this mother’s day will avert our glaze, try our best to put what we witness out of our minds and convince ourselves, there is nothing we can do to put a dent in a problem that is so widespread? It’s not enough to say Happy Mothers Day to those in our family while ignoring the plight of those who have been made victim by those who hate little girls, hate women and hate their mothers…
This Mothers Day as we type on our computers, put on our Sunday best for Church or rush off to a nice brunch, think about the mothers globally who live in extreme poverty who sacrifice for their sons and daughters by working at prison-like factories and sweat shops in far off lands for pennies a day to make products (computers fancy shoes, etc ) that we pay hundreds of times their worth…Those women who slave away for our benefit are mothers too.. How will we bring economic parity to them or do we not recognize their humanity?
Lastly let’s take some time out to reflect, send prayers and loving vibes to all those mothers who have posed loved ones to senseless and hateful violence.. From the mothers of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis to the countless moms who are unknown by the masses who lost loved ones to violence in our community..Can we change our ways collectively speaking and not resort to killing when we are upset and disagree?
Today on Mothers Day it can be card giving, brunch giving type of day or it can be a day of reflection and commitment to make sure all mothers are helped to healed from whatever pain and suffering we intentionally or unintentionally caused..
Thanks to all the mothers who loved, prayed and gave their all and found a way out of no way in spite of societal short comings and hostility. Thanks to all the mothers who have been there even when we in return have not reciprocated or showed our appreciation..May we change our ways from this day forward..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH1VUsURuuU