The Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition presented Revolutionary Mother’s Day. Led by Minister Becca Forsyth, we talked about the origins of Mother’s Day.
In 1908, in West Virginia, Anna Marie Jarvis launched efforts to honor the legacy of her own mother, a fighter for social justice and the mother of 12 children. Anna wanted to shine a light on mothers who care for their families but also for the larger communities. It wasn’t intended to be the Hallmark Holiday we currently see today.
Mother Mary from the Christian Faith is another example of revolutionary mothering. She made her journey to protect the Christ child even in pregnancy, traveling far on a donkey to avoid the empire bent on destroying him.
The Magnificat, also known as Mary’s Song, is a song of celebration and teaching. I will talk about how authoritarian regimes around the world have banned or restricted this passage, claiming that it is politically dangerous.
We will discuss Fannie Lou Hamer, the community organizer and social justice warrior who started life as a Mississippi sharecropper. She was subjected to a horrific injustice known as the “Mississippi appendectomy”, where doctors performed a hysterectomy during a surgery for a uterine tumor. She and her husband went on to adopt four girls and she fought for women’s rights, voting rights, and against police brutality.
What does revolutionary mothering mean to us today. Minister Tanisha Logan Lattimore comes to us from OFHOPE Church (Our Fathers House of Prayer Eternal). She is a tireless activist in our community who fights for the needs of our community and children. She is an advocate for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and their families. She also operates Moving On Up Childcare, a safe and loving space for our children. She has represented the New York State Poor People’s Campaign in Albany and Washington DC. Oh, yeah! And she will proudly tell you about the eight Black men she has had the pleasure of raising right here at home.