Local moms gather to support true meaning of Mother’s Day
Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/65064/
A group of area mothers spoke up for peace Saturday during a luncheon hosted by the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology.
“ We feel somebody has to speak up, ” said Jo Bennett, event coordinator. “ It’s part of our never-ending quest for peace. ”
Bennett added that Saturday’s fourth annual Mother’s Day Luncheon, hosted at Joe’s Bistro, gave area residents the chance to remember the true meaning behind Mother’s Day, which dates back to 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War.
During that time, a woman by the name of Julia Ward-Howe called for women to rise up and oppose all forms of war, Bennett said. She issued a declaration, hoping to gather women in a congress of action.
In 1872, Ward-Howe wrote her famed “ Mother’s Day Proclamation. ” In it, she urged women around the globe to speak up for peace and to take action together.
“ She died before it could be accomplished nationally, but another woman (Anna Jarvis ) stepped in and pursued it, ” Bennett said. “ It wasn’t until 1914 when it was finally declared Mother’s Day by Woodrow Wilson. ”
Since that time, Bennett said, the history of Mother’s Day has been forgotten by many. Instead, Bennett believes it’s become a holiday centered on commercialism. Consumers, she said, will spend an estimated $ 16 billion on Mother’s Day this year alone, making it the fourth most commercialized holiday of all.
“ That’s why we’re trying to bring Mother’s Day back to its original purpose, ” Bennett said.
“ We’re not an anti-war group. We’re just mothers who want peace. ”