Honoring Mother's Day By Investing in Peacebuilding

Ah, Mother's Day. The annual holiday where millions of Hallmark cards are sent, millions of brunches are sold, and millions of mothers are hugged and thanked. But did you know that Mother's Day was actually started as a holiday to honor peacemaking?

The date was 1870, and the woman who made the first Mother's Day proclamation was Julia Ward Howe. You might know her as the woman who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic, or subsequently, her work to abolish slavery, promote women's suffrage, and work for international peace. It was Howe's statement 140 years ago, calling all women to unite together for peace, that set in motion what we know today as Mother's Day.

"We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says 'Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice,'" Howe wrote.

How bizarre it is, then, that the original intent behind Mother's Day has been lost in a sea of greeting cards and flowers. Not that it isn't nice to send your mother some chocolates or flowers (or, in my case, her favorite brand of black licorice), but is there a way to recapture the original intent behind Mother's Day, and call for peace and disarmament?

There sure is, according to The Peace Alliance, a DC-based organization that looks to elevate discussions around peace to the highest levels of government. This week marks one of their most popular actions of the year (not to mention the tastiest): organizers and advocates for peace will descend on Capitol Hill this coming Friday, and drop off homemade pies to members of Congress. The point?

To urge Congress to make peacebuilding a part of the U.S. budget "pie," and to build support behind two critical pieces of legislation: one that would create a U.S. Department of Peace, and one that would enact the Youth PROMISE Act. You can help yourself to a virtual slice of pie right now, by signing this action urging Congress to move forward on these two bills.

Efforts to pass these two pieces of legislation are highlighted by many stories available on The Peace Alliance's Web site, giving everyday activists a chance to talk about why they're committed to peace activism. This week we'll be drawing on some of these stories for posts leading up to Mother's Day, all in an effort to build momentum for creating a U.S. Department of Peace, and passing the Youth PROMISE Act.

Why are these two bills important?

In the case of the U.S. Department of Peace legislation, this bill would create a Cabinet-level office to advise the U.S. President on issues of peacebuilding, both in terms of international and domestic efforts. It's a huge undertaking, for sure, but one that looks to get to the root causes of the violence that envelops communities around the country and around the globe.

The Youth PROMISE Act seeks to get the politics out of fighting crime, and instead empower local communities to reverse violence and domestic terrorism within their own neighborhoods. There's that old church song about letting there be peace on earth, and letting it begin with me. That's essentially the point of this legislation: giving our own neighborhoods the resources necessary to create a culture of peace, and reduce violence. As Rep. Mike Castle (R-Delaware ... yes, peacebuilding can be bipartisan!) said in introducing the Youth PROMISE Act in the U.S. House, "I have long believed that the best way to reduce violence in this country is through prevention, and the Youth PROMISE Act does just that. We must engage youth in positive ways through education, after school programs, sports, as well as family and community support to keep kids away from the dangers of gangs and other violent activities."

A proactive way of fighting crime and violence, and instilling peaceful values within our community?

Now that's a Mother's Day tradition we should all get behind. Send a message to Congress that these two pieces of legislation are critical. It's what your mother would want you to do. And it's certainly what Julia Ward Howe, the mother of Mother's Day, would want us to do.

Photo credit: kimberlykv