Madison's celebration will be one of approximately 35 taking place across the country, encouraging people to speak out for children and their families, and to support political candidates who are committed to prioritizing families. There will be information on policies and candidates from the National Council of Women's Organizations and the Milwaukee-based group 9to5 National Organization for Working Women. There will also be storytelling, poetry readings and live music.
A large pie chart showing the current federal discretionary budget will be on display. Participants will help create a new pie chart to better represent our community's priorities. They will also send postcards to the presidential candidates, reminding them that mothers* are a political force to be reckoned with. Everyone helping to create the new pie chart will enjoy a piece of homemade pie.
"Both the current federal and state budgets look like they were developed by people blind to the needs of children and families," said Maya P. Cole, founder of the Madison chapter of Mothers Acting Up. "We're going to ask our community how they would divide the budget pie, with eyes wide open."
Mother's Day was begun in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as an anti-war holiday. The Madison event is one of 35 planned from Los Angeles to New York, ranging from parades to radio addresses to pie auctions (with proceeds going to women's shelters), all organized by mothers*, many of whom have never taken political action before.
Mothers Acting Up, an organization dedicated to mobilizing the gigantic political strength of mothers* to ensure the health, education and safety of every child, was founded in 2002. The group has helped mothers* find their voice and move from concern to action.
Madison Women for Peace was founded on International Women's Day 2003, as the Bush administration prepared to invade Iraq. The group emphasizes worldwide solidarity among women and employs a wide variety of protest, public education and other tactics to achieve peace and social justice.
*"Mothers" are mothers and others, on stilts or off, who exercise protective care over someone smaller.