Motherhood at the DNC: Our Favorite Mama Moments

Motherhood is always on our minds at Mama Said, so we were so excited to hear so much about our favorite topic at the DNC last week! Check out some of our favorite motherhood-related highlights below!

First Lady Michelle Obama:

First Lady Michelle Obama: "You see, Hillary understands that the President is about one thing and one thing only-- it's about leaving something better for our kids. That's how we've always moved this country forward-- by all of us coming together on behalf of our children-- folks who volunteer to coach that team, to teach that Sunday school class because they know it takes a village."

To read a full transcript of the First Lady's speech, click here

The Mothers of the Movement:

Geneva Reed-Veal: "I'm here with Hillary Clinton because she is a leader and a mother who will say our children's names."

Lucia McBath: "She isn't afraid to sit at a table with grieving mothers and bear the full force of our anguish. She doesn't build walls around her heart. Not only did she listen to our problems, she invited us to become part of the solution."

Sybrina Fulton: "This isn't about being politically correct. It's about protecting our children... Hillary is the one mother who can ensure our movement will succeed."

To read a full transcript of the Mothers of the Movement speech, click here

Chelsea Clinton

Chelsea Clinton: "I’ve seen her holding the hands of mothers, worried about how they’ll feed their kids, worried about how they’ll get them the healthcare they need. I’ve seen my mother promising to do everything she could to help. I’ve seen her right after those conversations getting straight to work, figuring out what she could do, who she could call, how fast she could get results. She always feels, like there isn’t a moment to lose, because she knows that for that mother, for that family there isn’t."

To read a full transcript of Chelsea Clinton's DNC speech, click here.

Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton: "Standing here as my mother's daughter, and my daughter's mother, I'm so happy this day has come. Happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. Happy for boys and men, too-- because when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit."

To read a full transcript of Hillary Clinton's DNC speech, click here

Were you also inspired by all of the motherhood talk at the DNC? Tell us about it in the comments below!

 

 

 

Women to Watch at the 2016 DNC

With Hillary Clinton as the first female presumptive Democratic nominee, this year’s DNC is an exciting occasion for women! However, Hillary will not be the only notable lady speaking next week! Check out our list of women to watch at the DNC below!


First Lady Michelle Obama: The First Lady will be speaking the first night of the convention, with the theme of “United Together.” According to NPR, the convention’s opening night “will focus on putting the future of American families front and center and how we’re stronger together when we build an economy that works for everyone […] and when everyone has a chance to live up to their God-given potential.”

Astrid Silva: Silva, a DREAMer and immigration reform activist whose story was highlighted in an address by president Obama in November of 2014, will share the first night of festivities with First Lady Michelle Obama. According to NPR, “Silva will share her story and her fight to keep families together.”

 

Mothers of the Movement: Tuesday, the second night of the convention, is titled “A lifetime of fighting for children and families,” and will feature “Mothers of the Movement” as some of the key speakers. These mothers, including the mothers of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Sandra Bland, “have children who’ve died from gun violence, at the hands of the police, or both. The women have served as powerful surrogates for Clinton in recent months, telling their stories in primary states and campaign stops all across the country,” according to The Atlantic.

Chelsea Clinton: On Thursday night, titled “Stronger Together” (a mantra you may remember from Hillary’s campaign stop with Elizabeth Warren), Chelsea will speak alongside her mother, Hillary, the presumptive Democratic nominee. 

 

Hillary Clinton: On the final night of the convention, Hillary will finally take the stage with her daughter, Chelsea, and “will speak about her vision for the country—her belief that we are stronger together and that America is at its best when we work together to solve our problems," according to NPR.

Though the official schedule has not yet been released on the DNC website, four “Philadelphians who work in some form of child advocacy" are also set to speak at the convention next week, according to Philly.com. Two of of the Philadelphian speakers will be women: Kate Burdick, an attorney for the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, a “non-profit organization that advocates for the rights of children in Pennsylvania, [primarily in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems,” and Dynah Haubert, “a lawyer with the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania.”

Notably missing from this list of female speakers at the DNC is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is currently in the running for Hillary Clinton’s Vice Presidential nomination. Does her absence mean an all-female ticket is coming our way? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

 

 

 

Monday's Supreme Court Ruling: A Win for All Women, Including Hillary!

Hillary Clinton and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren campaigned together in Ohio this week, Using the slogan "Stronger Together."

Hillary Clinton and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren campaigned together in Ohio this week, Using the slogan "Stronger Together."

On Monday, June 27, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on a restrictive Texas abortion law that has led to a domino effect of wins in the name of women’s health this week, and a platform for Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton to share her women's health ideology.

The Texas Omnibus Abortion Bill mandated that any abortion procedures would have to take place in “ambulatory surgical centers” and that physicians performing the procedures also needed to have “admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic,” as described in an article written for forbes.com. Had it been upheld, this bill would have effectively shut down 32 of the 42 existing abortion clinics in Texas. Thankfully for the women of the Lone Star State, the Supreme Court shot down the bill, and Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the majority, “The surgical-center requirement, like the admitting-privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an "undue burden" on their constitutional right to do so."

Anticipation followed the ruling, as many hoped that “Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers (or TRAP laws) may now be easier to challenge in court,” according to cosmopolitan.com. And in the two days since the court’s decision, these anticipations have been realized. In a Tuesday ruling regarding a Louisiana bill that would effectively close the state’s only abortion clinic, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling by Judge E. Grady Jolly, that proclaimed the bill Unconstitutional as “Mississippi may not shift its obligation to respect the established constitutional rights of its citizens to another state.” In Wisconsin (quite similarly to the Texas ruling) Judge Richard A. Posner ruled that “courts must balance the supposed health benefits of abortion restrictions against the burdens they impose on access to abortion.” Finally, the state of Alabama dropped an appeal that blocked the state from restricting abortions. Alabama’s attorney general, Luther Strange, justified the decision by saying, “There is no good faith argument that Alabama’s law remains constitutional in light of the Supreme Court ruling.”

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been able to use these recent women's health victories as a platform to raise awareness about her own women’s health ideologies. Clinton, who has referred to Monday’s Texas ruling as “a critical victory,” laid out her plan for the women’s health sector, should she be elected this November, in an article that she wrote for the Concord Monitor. Though the article described her beliefs in greater detail, Clintons three main points were: 1) “I will always stand with Planned Parenthood” 2) “I’ll fight to protect access to fair and legal abortion” and 3) “I will support comprehensive, inclusive sex education.” When compared to Trump’s recent proclamation that women who get abortions, no, wait, doctors who perform abortions, should be punished, Clinton clearly presides as the choice candidate when it comes to issues of women’s health. Further evidenced by her "Stronger Together" campaigning with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Clinton has proved herself to be a woman focused on supporting other women, and that's a candidate we can get behind!

 

 

"Momstrology": The Astrotwins and Elle Magazine look to the stars for parenting-style predictions

Image designed by katja cho for elle

Image designed by katja cho for elle

 

Elle Magazine reports that the Astrotwins, Ophira and Tali Edut, have released a new book, Momstrology, which predicts what type of mom a woman will be based on her zodiac sign. From the stable and hard-working Taurus mom to the resilient and intuitive Scorpio mother, Elle offers up a snippet for mamas-to-be of each astrological sign!

A Gemini mama (the zodiac sign for May 15 to June 15), is predicted to be a creative and open-minded mother who has a tendency to to be contradictory at times.

Find out what your sign predicts here.

Mother of Dragons, Myhsa, Mother's Mercy...Mama Said? Depictions of Motherhood in HBO's Game of Thrones and Why They Matter

The upcoming season 5 finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones is titled “Mother’s Mercy.” This is the second time a season of the series will conclude with an episode title emphasizing motherhood. Season 3 was finished with “Myhsa” or mother—a nod to one of the many names bestowed upon Queen Daenerys Targaryen.

Winter, ice, fire, and dragons are some of Game of Thrones most recognizable themes, but motherhood is just as pervasive. 

Catlyn Stark’s devotion as a mother is apparent through her actions when she is living and kept alive through Brienne’s relentless dedication to protect Catlyn’s children when she is dead. Tyrion Lannister memorably quipped to his sister Cersei, “You love your children. It’s your one redeeming quality. That and your cheekbones.” 

Each past season has many maternal moments, but none of them compare to the thread of motherhood woven throughout season 5 and particularly the most recent episode of the series, “The Dance of Dragons.”

Perhaps it is peculiar to linger over motherhood when Game of Thrones has many more obvious points of excitement. In these past two episodes alone the audience has been treated to an epic battle with the walking dead and men torched alive by dragon fire. The show is often horrifying and it has been criticized for its gratuitous use of sexual violence and torture. 

In comparison, motherhood sounds innocuous. 

To me, however, the most chilling and horrifying moment of the series came in this last episode when we were asked to watch Selyse and Stannis Baratheon burn their daughter Shireen alive for the sake of an amorphous “greater good.”

At first it is Selyse who reassure Stannis that they are making the right decision to sacrifice Shireen to the Lord of Light. The audience has come to expect this religious blindness and callousness toward Shireen from Selyse. We have watched Selyse ignore her daughter at best and berate her at worst throughout the series. The shame she feels towards Shireen and her disfigurement is palpable across seasons. 

Selyse is finally shaken from her religious devotion, guilt, and shame by Shireen’s cries for help. She desperately runs to her daugher, but is unsuccessful in her attempt to save her. Ultimately, the pull of motherhood proved to be greater than any other devotion or fear. 

In what feels like a world away from the icy landscape of the North, the pull of motherhood is once again present. This time it is Daenerys’s connection with her dragon Drogon. Just when it seems that death is imminent as the Sons of the Harpy close in on the Queen and her loyal advisors and protectors, Drogon swoops in to ignite those who seek to hurt his mother. Again, the pull of motherhood is so significant that Drogon can sense his mother’s fear even from a distance. This time, however, they are joined by fire rather than separated by it.

Much has been written about depictions of motherhood in pop culture. Just last week another mother, the Wildling leader, Karsi in Game of Thrones was highlighted in an article in the Chicago Tribune titled, “How TV Gets Motherhood Wrong.” Stacia L. Brown lamented,

Like Karsi, each of the women is established as calculating, confrontational and, when the occasion calls for it, unyielding. They're capable of besting giants and pirates and any number of supernatural forces set against them. But a mere mention of their kids and the characters as well as audiences are expected to allow these women's status as mothers to supersede their other traits.

Brown’s words suggest that she resents the “pull of motherhood” depicted in Game of Thrones and various other television programs. She goes on to explain that even as maternal characters become more nuanced in many shows there is a still a desire to use motherhood as a “narrative shorthand for empathy, particularly a crippling empathy.” 

Should mothers feel proud to possess an unmatched empathy both on screen and in real life? Is the ever-present narrative of the self-sacrificing mother damaging to women and families? My answer is “yes” to both of these questions, but the question of what to do about this conflict of interests remains unanswered. 

I can’t help but root for the mother who runs to her daughter in pain or the Mother of Dragons who calmly stands in front of the mythical creature she considers her child as he screeches terrifyingly in her face. How many millions of women meet their little creatures with empathy and warmth even as they are screeched at? And how many feel exhausted, frustrated, and isolated as a result of boundless generosity to others?

Mama Said was created to address the delicate dance between motherhood and personhood. I refuse to ever see empathy as a weakness, but I also refuse to endorse a narrative in which mothers continue to give at the cost of their identities. Mama Said exists to draw our attention to the experience of motherhood and begin to address some of the questions I have posed here. I hope that our programming will emphasize the power of motherhood in its most quiet and loudest forms while offering a space for learning and questioning. Not all are mothers of dragons, but how can we establish a world in which mothers are treated as queens?