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As moms we tend to hold the concerns and challenges around us, working to fix what we see going wrong and believing we can help our communities. We tend to become involved in activism before we call ourselves activists. Opportunities to join in activism are all around us.
Quiana Agbai, the blogger behind Harlem Lovebirds, recalled her activation point being wrapped in motherhood: “I became more aware of what impacted my kids in general society. We moved from New York to New Hampshire and there was an active shooter incident.” This incident plus the incident that happened at Sandy Hook caused Agbai to jump into action.
Whether you are experiencing a specific life-changing event or being pulled by the needs of your community, you are skilled and suited for activism. Diana Limongi of Parenting and Politics believes that moms are always finding ways to get things done — making us perfect to change the world. “We can juggle a lot at the same time, mothers have an extra layer of empathy, we as moms just find a way, we’ve been doing that for generations probably because we didn’t have a choice as women,” Limongi said.
When to pick up activism
As a mom, if you find that you are passionate about a subject, it’s the perfect time to get involved in your community. Some moms have always had an affinity for helping others, even since their childhood. And others may find that a specific trigger pointed them down the activism path.
After experiencing these events, Agbai joined Moms Demand Action through her local chapter. It’s often through personal interactions and storytelling that we find that activism being activated. Limongi discovered Moms Rising and Paid Leave Coalition after starting to share her personal story during maternity leave.
Where to start with activism
When getting started, looking at where to jump into activism can be intimidating. There are international activism groups all the way down to the local neighborhood level, so finding out where you fit in can be difficult.
“It is important to get a sense of what work is already being done,” Agbai advises. Taking stock of what action is already done and learning the history of the organizations already doing work will give you a great idea of where there is room, what the culture of the organization is, and how the people in that space interact.
Going to an open house or local meeting, getting people together in your neighborhood to talk through possible issues, and listening for opportunities are great places to start engaging.
Small steps toward change is best. If you take a piece of something and we each take a piece of this, and then together we can see long-term collective change and be able to go the distance. If you need to take a break, then you can do that.
Oftentimes these organizations have their own training systems, and their programs to get educated on what work needs to be done are great ways to ease into an activist role. “A lot of times we think we have to do something huge like running for office, and we forget that so many important decisions are at a local level, like school boards, or even meeting with principals, curriculum, and school environments,” Limongi says.
Reading books, going to trainings, listening to podcasts, and getting comfortable with the concepts while working in your own community can help you accomplish your goals of becoming an activist.
Be cautioned against doing it all
“Give yourself credit for what you are doing under your roof, that counts for something. Look at your role as a mom as activism — you are raising the next generation,” Agbai says. Mothers tend to take on the world all at the same time. This need to conquer the world can be a great skill for activism, but know that your work in your child’s school, at the local food bank, or by sharing messages between family and friends are all ways of getting into activism. We can all be activist moms.
