Today is Mother’s Day, a day in which many in the US spend time, celebrate, or remember their mothers. For some, this is a happy day spent with family and gifts for mom. There are so many moms who work so hard to provide for their children and so many ways in which we as a society treat them poorly. We make it so hard for mothers to really support their children, like the widespread lies about black single mothers and that maternity leave in the US is almost a joke because of how bad it is.
For others though, today can be difficult for many reasons. Some have lost their mothers because of illness, state violence, or something else. Others have lost their children for the same reasons. There are families separated because of deportation or the prison industrial complex.
Let’s keep in mind all the Mother’s who don’t have their children with them today because of state violence.
— #FreeJalilMuntaqim (@BlakeDontCrack) 8 May 2016
Ella Mendoza wrote about her relationship with her mom in the midst of ICE raids, being undocumented in the US, and being so far away from family. And Mendoza isn’t alone in being separated from family by borders and ICE – deportation raids have many people in the country scared and are the reason why many won’t be spending today with their moms or families.
Deported mothers meeting their children through the US-Mexico border. The last picture is from Mother’s Day. pic.twitter.com/qSxmWAt9vA
— Dirty Thirty Tony (@MexicAnarchist) 21 February 2016
In Tacoma, WA, there are organizations and individuals from around the Pacific Northwest that come together each year around Mother’s Day to celebrate the day outside of the Northwest Detention Center. This detention center is one of the largest ones of its kind in the US and is actually owned and operated by a private corporation on behalf of ICE (which is super sketchy and usually means that same corporation is profiting off of people being in the center). But the annual event that immigrant rights organizations put on is a way to honor immigrant families and a call for the end of mass deportations and detentions.
Whether you broke ties with your mom or deportation separated you or you were kicked out or any reason why today might be hard, just know that there’s so much love and support for you in the world. And for all the moms who’ve supported and loved their kids, the same is also true. I can’t begin to imagine the pain of losing a mother or a child but I have hugs and a lot of love for you. That’s so cheesy to hear and I’ve said it numerous times before and it doesn’t change anything. But it never stops being true.