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MomsRising.org is a rapidly growing grassroots online organization founded in 2006 by Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org, and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner with the goal of championing core motherhood and family issues in political, social, and economic spheres. The intent of this new organization, modeled on MoveOn.org, is to reach millions of women who have not previously been active, to educate people about the problems facing mothers and families, and to provide avenues for common sense solutions to those problems.
Why Now: Frankly our country isn’t adequately supporting mothers and families. Right now the top cause of “poverty spells” is having a baby. More than a quarter of families with children under six live in poverty, and the wage gap between mothers and non-mothers is greater than between women and men (Non-mothers earn 10 percent less than their male counterparts; mothers earn 27 percent less; and single mothers earn between 44 percent and 34 percent less). Too many families are struggling.
In the end, these economic penalties are symptoms of a far larger problem. Our nation simply doesn’t have policies and programs in place to support mothers and families. Policies like paid family leave, flexible work options, subsidized child care, and adequate health care that have proven success in other countries where moms don’t take such big wage hits simply for being mothers. The bottom line is that for America to have a vibrant future, we must invest both love and resources in our children. The best way to do this is support mothers and families.
The Organization: MomsRising.org is working to build a massive grassroots online resource to move motherhood issues to the forefront of the country’s awareness and provide grassroots support for leaders, as well as for organizations advancing key motherhood issues. MomsRising.org is igniting a major movement that brings real, necessary change to the lives of families.
Mothers ultimately wield the power to change national family policy and determine political outcomes. Analysts pronounced that the 5% shift in primarily married women’s voting patterns determined the Presidential election last time around. MomsRising has a critical opportunity to harness the political and economic power of mothers to benefit all American families.
One major component of the MomsRising organizing effort is the creation of a website that is a primary connecting point for women and aligned organizations. MomsRising will become a site that allows collaborating organizations and individuals to garner support for a range of actions, to exchange educational materials, and to share information. Based on the MoveOn.org organizing model, this site will offer an easy entry to motherhood-focused activism and education. The site and coordinated e-mail campaigns will be accessible, appealing, and innovative.
MomsRising is a place for moms to meet, learn, and get involved. Through this website, moms can learn about issues, share their stories, and get more fully engaged in local community efforts, as well as in legislative and electoral politics.
MomsRising is also a place for organizations to coordinate efforts to maximize results. MomsRising is currently coordinating a “motherhood project” with more than forty regional and national organizations who are interested in collaborative movement building to support family-friendly policies in America.
MomsRising is a huge opportunity to shift the national conversation. A key goal is to build mothers’ political and community engagement in order to change legislative and workplace policy to support women and families. These family-friendly policies are desperately needed by mothers—and all Americans—in order to ensure the future of our children, and the future of our nation.
