Tina Sherman

Campaign Director, Breastfeeding/Paid Leave

Tina is the Campaign Director for the Breastfeeding and Paid Leave Campaigns at MomsRising. Tina has dedicated her professional life to supporting and empowering moms and families. She has served as a legislative aide in the United States Senate, has worked with several child and women's advocacy organizations, is an active advocate on the North Carolina MomsRising Steering Committee and is a certified birth doula.

Tina and her husband JP are raising four boys ranging from 2 to 11 years, including 8 year old twins. She is active in her small town and serves on the board of the local farmers market.

Follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

Blog Post List

breastfeeding

August 29, 2017

Earlier this month MomsRising members and their kiddos went to Capitol Hill to drop off your signatures and stories, along with some liquid gold (chocolate) to demand better workplace pumping accommodations for breastfeeding moms. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is the opportunity to lift up the voices of moms and families on issues that affect their everyday lives. As a doula and an advocate, the #IPumpedHere campaign has been particularly near and dear to my heart not only for my own personal struggles with pumping at work, but I saw first hand the struggles many of my clients...

breastfeeding

August 25, 2017

It’s National Breastfeeding Month and today, August 25th, kicks off Black Breastfeeding Week . It is a time for celebration, as well as an important moment to take stock of what work still needs to be done to ensure that more moms, particularly moms of color, are able to meet their breastfeeding goals. Let’s take a good look at the state of breastfeeding across the country. The reality is that while the majority of moms start out breastfeeding, many women stop breastfeeding sooner than they’d like and struggle to meet their breastfeeding goals. < Take a sneak peek at our video that...

breastfeeding

August 8, 2017

Babble says, "Badass Moms Take to Capitol Hill to Demand Better Workplace Pumping Accommodations."

breastfeeding

August 1, 2017

August is here and you know what that means - It is National Breastfeeding Month!! Every August I take time to reflect on my own breastfeeding journey with my four boys - From my oldest who was a comfort nurser to my twins who I initially pumped for every 2 hours and tube feed breastmilk in the NICU to my youngest who weaned earlier this spring after nursing for 2 years, 5 months and 27 days (not that I was counting). I also reflect on the joys and struggles that my friends, my colleagues, my peers, and my community face meeting their breastfeeding goals. How public policies like paid family...

breastfeeding

July 21, 2017

Airplane bathrooms. Parked cars. Utility closets. In a cubicle with absolutely no privacy. These are just some of the places that breastfeeding moms have had to pump breastmilk because they didn’t have access to anything better. Let's bring mothers out of the bathroom stalls and into the pumping rooms they deserve. → Click here and add your name to our letter calling on Congress to support working moms who don’t have adequate spaces to pump and store breastmilk at work. We’re going to hand deliver your signatures and more to Congress on Monday, August 7th. ** We know that Congress will still...

paid family leave

June 22, 2017

Good afternoon everyone, and thank you to Congresswoman Frankel and the Democratic Women’s Working Group for inviting me to speak today. My name is MacKenzie, I’m a proud MomsRising member from, New Hampshire. I’m a mother of two – a four-year-old son (whose birthday is today!) and a five-month-old baby girl. I also help care for my 62-year-old mother, making me a member of the sandwich generation. Over the past several months, my family has experienced both the joy of a new birth and the stress of an elderly family member’s serious illness. My husband and I did everything we could to prepare...

paid family leave

June 13, 2017

Good afternoon, and thank you for allowing me to speak today. My name is Sonja Darai and I'm from Somerville, Massachusetts. I’m a member of the group MomsRising and I'm the mom of two teenage boys. I'm also a daughter, and I’m here today to tell you how paid family and medical leave helped me care for my dad when his health faltered. A few years ago, my father broke his hip and required hip replacement surgery. Because my workplace offered paid leave to it employees, I was able to take a month off from work to help him with his daily needs. This was instrumental in keeping my family afloat...

breastfeeding paid family leave

June 10, 2017

Yikes! We have a bizarre, tricky, and urgent situation with President Trump and paid family and medical leave -- and we need your help letting Congress know what’s going on so they aren’t fooled. The lowdown: While we were heartened that President Trump’s proposed budget recognized the need for paid family and medical leave, which is, indeed, an urgent priority – the administration’s approach is not only terribly flawed, but also is coming at the same time as Trump is proposing massive cuts to the programs that lift families and our economy the most. In other words, name-checking this policy...

paid family leave

March 14, 2017

The constant stream of news out of Washington, D.C. is exhausting and I don’t know about you, but I am looking for every opportunity to put my energies where I know I can make a difference. You can make a difference, right here in Connecticut, by urging your state lawmakers to stand up for Connecticut families and support paid family and medical leave. GREAT NEWS! One hurdle was recently cleared when, S.B. 1 and H.B. 6212, An Act Establishing Paid Family and Medical Leave, were both voted out of their respective legislative committees.[1][2] This is a huge success, but we must continue to let...

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paid family leave

February 15, 2017

Can you believe that in the United States only 14% of workers --and only 5% of low-wage workers --have access to paid leave through their employers? American workers need a national paid family and medical leave policy that checks ALL the boxes: It needs to be ACCESSIBLE to all workers, offer a MEANINGFUL length of leave, be AFFORDABLE for workers, employers and the government, be INCLUSIVE in defining family, and offer job PROTECTION. We need a national paid family & medical leave policy that reflects the many dimensions of our families and lives. Policies that are *only* for moms don’t...

paid family leave

February 2, 2017

Details matter! Moms know this. Dads know this. Caregivers know this. Details are the difference between a giggling toddler pouring water on a nice white carpet with glee; and that same giggling toddler pouring their grape juice on the white carpet. Ouch. Details are also the difference between your teenager asking if she can have one friend over for dinner; and that friend turning into her whole basketball team. The details also matter when we’re talking about paid family and medical leave. We need a national paid family & medical leave policy that reflects the many dimensions of our...

paid family leave

February 1, 2017

I don’t know about you, but I am feeling energized after last weekend’s historic Women’s March. From DC to Greenfield to Boston, millions came together to stand up for women and families. The march was inspiring, but it was also a starting line, not a finish line. We have to keep the momentum moving forward and right now we have a chance to do that in the Bay State by urging our state legislators to co-sponsor and pass important paid family and medical leave legislation. State legislators are back at the capitol in Boston for the beginning of the legislative sessions which means now is the...

breastfeeding family economic security paid family leave

December 12, 2016

Today, December 12th, is the anniversary of the introduction of the FAMILY Act (a paid family leave insurance program). This is an important anniversary to mark because right now only 13% of U.S. workers--and only 5% of low-wage workers--have access to paid leave. We need better workplace policies that keep people in the jobs they need and help grow the economy - and access to paid family and medical leave does just that. Introduced for the first time four years ago, the FAMILY (Family and Medical Insurance Leave) Act is an insurance program that would provide workers—including those who are...

breastfeeding Food!

November 18, 2016

Even though doctors say that breastfeeding is best, not everyone can breastfeed for a variety of important reasons. The option of giving a baby formula should be safe, but often times the claims that formula companies make can be confusing or even downright misleading. With DHA or without? Will one really help my baby’s vision? Or their growth? Is one more like breastmilk than others? These infant formula cans should be easier to understand! I experienced this firsthand when I was pregnant with my son and formula companies started sending me free samples, straight to my doorstep. Even though...

MomsRising

November 1, 2016

Late last month I was joined by a number of NC MomsRising members to stand up for breastfeeding rights in our state by hand-delivering the over 500 signatures and comments from our members across the state to the NC Administrative Office of the Courts. Why the delivery? Well, unfortunately, recently, two mothers were asked to stop breastfeeding their babies in North Carolina courtrooms; one by a judge , one by a law enforcement officer . This was a clear violation of those mothers' rights to breastfeed their children in public and MomsRising members weren't having it. We put out a call to...

breastfeeding MomsRising

October 18, 2016

No mother should ever be shamed, humiliated, or harassed while breastfeeding her baby! Unfortunately, recently, two mothers were asked to stop breastfeeding their babies in North Carolina courtrooms; one by a judge , one by a law enforcement officer . Breastfeeding in public, and that includes courtrooms, is not a crime! In fact, breastfeeding in public spaces in North Carolina is protected by law. Yet these women were shamed and made to feel that they were breaking rules and doing something wrong. What’s happening? Well, despite the fact that breastfeeding in public is protected by law in...

momsvote paid family leave Realistic & Fair Wages

September 2, 2016

Campaigns typically kick into high gear after Labor Day weekend. However, this election season appears to be well under way. Consistent themes running throughout the campaigns are issues affecting moms and families across the country; paid family leave and paycheck fairness. With nearly two-thirds of voters expressing that an elected official’s support for equal pay for women, paid sick days, and paid family and medical leave would make them more likely to vote for that elected official, it is no wonder that candidates have incorporated these policy priorities as apart of their platforms. In...

childcare & early education family economic security MomsRising paid family leave paid sick days

June 22, 2016

From Vice President Biden's call to action challenging all of us (women *and* men) to help bring an end to violence against women to Michelle Obama and Oprah's *real* conversation about the fallacy women face to have and do it all, The United State of Women Summit, convened by the White House, has left me inspired and invigorated! I was proud to represent MomsRising and members from across North Carolina. To add to the high coming off the summit, as we visited with lawmakers on Capitol Hill people left and right stopped us to express their appreciation for all the work MomsRising does to...

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When you take action, we deliver!

Let's empower breastfeeding moms!

#iPumpedHere Featured Everywhere!

In Celebration of National Breastfeeding Month!

Breastfeeding Moms Need Places to Pump

SuperMom MacKenzie Nicholson testifies before Congress on the importance of paid leave

SuperMom Sonja testifies before Massachusetts lawmakers about the importance of paid leave

We need paid family leave that works for families, business, and our economy!

Connecticut Working Families need your help!

American families need a paid family & medical leave policy that checks ALL the boxes!

Time to Make Paid Leave a Reality for Everyone

Massachusetts, ask your state legislators to co-sponsor paid family leave!

It's time for the #FAMILYAct!

FDA Oversight of Formula Marketing

MomsRising members stand up for mothers' rights to breastfeed!

Protect mothers' rights to breastfeed!

Paid Family Leave and Pay Equity in This Year's Election

Reflections on The United State of Women Summit