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After the U.S. civil war in 1872, mother and suffragette Julia Ward Howe wrote a Mother's Day Proclamation urging women to unite to protect the lives of their children. She said one question burned in her heart, "Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters to prevent the waste of human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?"
It's hard to imagine that the roots of the Mother's Day we all know today was originally founded by a request for mothers to come together one day a year to discuss the futility of warfare and the future wellbeing of all children. Yet, Howe's vision for "Mother's Day" was celebrated for years in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Edinburgh, London, Geneva and Istanbul. A later effort — celebrating motherhood itself — subsequently became more popular than the controversial idea of women coming together to act up for peace.
It took 130 years for mothers to reclaim the original intention of their day, but reclaim it they did and with style! In 2002, four mothers in Boulder, Colorado held the first Mothers Acting Up Mother's Day Parade in the name of protecting the health, safety and education of children, wherever they lived on earth. It attracted national attention. After all, who could resist mothers and their children marching through their city centre on stilts, in silly hats and outrageous costumes? Their Mother's Day event became the perfect forum to inspire collective action, raise awareness of important issues and, perhaps most importantly, inspire the future leaders of our world — our own children.
It was contagious! In 2003, there were ten Mother's Day parades being held in cities across North America from New York City to Los Angeles. In 2004 the number of events reclaiming Mother's Day on behalf of the world's children more than doubled again. Today the numbers still grow and there are parades, picnics, radio addresses, street parties and lemonade stands all acting up in their own exuberant style across the globe.
Would you like to join the fun?
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