The founding four: a bit TOO friendly?
Mothers Acting Up was created by four friends who–while raising their children together–became increasingly disturbed by the choices their government was making, and how those choices were impacting the lives and future of every child on the planet.
They knew the grim statistics about children’s wellbeing around the world; it was clear that children needed more voices speaking out on their behalf. They believed that mothers–the primary caretakers of children around the world–were potentially an incredibly powerful lobby for children, BUT often didn’t see themselves as political, or hadn’t yet seen it as their role, their job, their honor to speak out for children. Mothers Acting Up was created to invite mothers to stretch our traditional mother roles to include publicly and passionately advocating for the world’s children.
The Mother’s Acting Up movement was officially launched on Mother’s Day 2002, reclaiming it as the day Julia Ward Howe originally envisioned in 1870: a day set aside for mothers to unite for the wellbeing of our global family. (Definitely check out MAU’s first shero, Julia Ward Howe, and her Mother’s Day Proclamation.) Since 2002, MAU has developed principles and programs all intended to inspire, educate and engage a growing movement of mothers (and others). MAU now has active members in all 50 states and 24 countries that advocate for the world’s children through personal choices, community forums & events and in the offices of decision makers.
And the rest is history … that you, that we, are making.
