“My 101 year old grandma fought for women’s rights with the same tough determination that led her to take driving lessons for her 95th birthday. 18-wheeler truck driving lessons in kitten heels. My great grandma and my mom fought for women’s rights too and my son and daughter fight today,” Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director of MomsRising stated, addressing a crowd at the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday.
She went on to ask who had a mother at any point in their life?
“We are Black mothers, Latino, White, Asian, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and we are mothers of all immigration statuses. We are mothers who are differently abled, trans and gender non-conforming and sometimes, we are all these moms in one. Together, we are an inspiring, spectacular, fierce force for change. Together, we are powerful. Together too, we face obstacles.”
Rowe-Finkbeiner shared statistics: “Real facts that still exist show that women make 80 cents to a man’s dollar. Moms earn only 71 cents to a man’s dollar and moms of earn color as low as 46 cents to a man’s dollar. Our country often claims to worship mothers, we have all heard it, but in truth, moms face a lifetime of economic risks and 82 percent of women become moms but together, we have the power to change all of this.”
She explained that we can change this “by raising our voices, by sharing our truths, by amplifying each other, we can change our nation for the better. So together, we rise.”
She added that we must also rise against bullies because bullying is not leadership.
“We are leading the way to move forward policy that lifts our nation. Policy like health care, fair pay, childcare, paid family leave, criminal justice reform, gun safety and police reform, food justice, fair treatment for all families, including immigrant families.
We will not stop fighting until we win. We stand, we rise, we march for each other. The unfair treatment of any single one of us, hurts all of us. Silence is not an option. Our freedoms are intertwined. We rise knowing that democracy and justice aren’t about one day, one person, one oval office or one election. We stay engaged in the easy times and double down in the hard times.”
She concluded with:
“We are all rising together. The over million members of moms rising rise with you. We invite you to take action with us at www.momsrising.com because we know we are the fierce, determined, and inclusive leaders our nation needs. Generations of work brought us here today but the challenges we face are unprecedented. We will not be bullied, we will not be silenced, we will rise together. I believe in us.”
The organization also created a Mosaic of collective power.
