Mother's Day

For ME, being a mother is the greatest role I’ve ever taken on and I’m so grateful to my babies for being willing to stumble along with me as I learn and grow and figure all of this out. I am also grateful to my mothers, my aunts and the often unseen and unappreciated army of aunties (with and without children) that lift my children and my family up. I appreciate and see how hard this day is for some of you, either because of loss and/or complicated family dynamics.

As a secular humanist and former clinic escort, I am committed to advancing the cause of reproductive justice. Many think of reproductive justice as the ability to choose when and how to get pregnant and stay pregnant. While this is true, the other half of this equation is the ability to choose how to bring children into the world and to raise children so that they can thrive, not just survive.

I have been fortunate enough to have this experience in my own life, but many pregnant folks, particularly incarcerated women, do not. Women in jail are far less likely to get prenatal care and other critical social needs met. Many of us that work in this space have seen the horrific stories about women being forced to birth on the floors of jail cells and/or in shackles. Their children are also more likely to end up in the foster care system. Black mothers are more likely to be criminalized, and they and their families are more likely to experience the adverse impacts of incarceration.

Today, I’m celebrating Mother’s Day by supporting the efforts of the National Bail Out Project. Every dollar we contribute is going to help reunite a black mama with her children through the whole month of May. The COVID-19 pandemic running rampant through jails makes this all the more urgent—you cannot social distance in these environments.

I hope you will join me so that more families can celebrate with their mothers today and in the future.