A reflection after Mother’s Day

I am thinking about mothers and I am thinking about their children. And I am thinking about all of the extremist politicians who posted hollow messages about their supposed appreciation for moms on Sunday. Hollow because their words meant nothing when their actions are leaving so many moms in such desperate and avoidably tragic situations.

I wish they would stop talking and start walking. Hold that thought — I’ll get back to it in a bit.

Let me start with some other things I wish they would do. Care, for one thing. I wish they would care about the 43 percent of surveyed moms who worry about whether they can consistently provide their kids with healthy meals. If they cared, maybe then they would expand access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) instead of passing a bill that is producing the largest cuts in the history of SNAP. Cuts that researchers fear could lead to nearly 70,000 avoidable deaths nationally by 2040.

I wish they would care about the political violence that is driving more and more women — including moms — to leave public office or choose not to run for fear of their own safety and the safety of their children. Two recent reports show that harassment, abuse, and violence are leading factors driving women legislators to leave office. A 2025 report from the Ghosh Innovation Lab found that “93 percent of women lawmakers said they experienced some form of harm or abuse in office.” I wish they would clearly condemn such violence and speak to the horrific loss of Melissa Hartmann to a man with hate in his heart and a gun in his hand. I wish they would acknowledge the fact that her children are spending Mother’s Day without her, and that no family should have to experience such a loss.

I wish they would care that so many children are spending this Mother’s Day without their moms because of the cruelty of Trump’s war against immigrants. A recent report found that during the first seven months of Trump’s presidency, federal agents arrested the parents of at least 27,000 children. An unfathomable amount of trauma.

And I wish they would want to do something to stop the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum women, which is not a medical condition, but homicide. Yes, homicide. Most often perpetrated by a current or former partner, and most often with a gun. And while I am on the subject of guns, I also wish they would do something about the guns that are the leading cause of death for the children of these moms. You read that right too. Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in this country. Guns are killing the moms and stealing their children. I wish that instead of flowery and meaningless posts they would instead release meaningful policy proposals to stop the bloodshed. To ensure that no mom spends her Mother’s Day without her child and that no child grieves a mother they will never see again.

So now let’s get to the walking part. Because those are the moms I walked with this last weekend, and I sure wish those extremist politicians had gone for that walk too.

For ten years now, I have walked in the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Boston. The walk is held by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, an organization founded by my friend Chaplain Clementina Chery after she lost her son to gun violence. The walk is to remember those taken by homicide, honor survivors, and dream of the world we want to build. It’s hard to find the words to describe how powerful this event is, but I will give it a try.

You come to the walk and you are surrounded by t-shirts, signs, and banners commemorating lives lost to homicide. And you are surrounded by the people left behind in the aftermath of those homicides. Including so many moms who have said a forever goodbye to a child taken way too soon. Moms who are still moms, even though their children may no longer be physically with them. Children who are missing a parent, but will always be that parent’s child. Sibling groups incomplete but holding the memories of a sister or brother. Friends and neighbors and coworkers, there to hold memories of people they will never see again. They are there to call for an end to the violence that stole the futures of the people they are missing. It is so powerful.

But it’s not just about grief. Not by a long shot.There are hugs and smiles, people running towards each other and walking arm in arm. Babies in strollers, balloons, and banners fill the route. Tables with drinks and snacks, violinists and drummers greet you along the way. People lean out of their windows and come out to their porches to cheer us on. It’s a whole community event. And not just one community. Lots of folks from lots of different places and spaces walking together through the streets of Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood.

I love every minute of it. I can no longer imagine starting my Mother’s Day without this event.

So yes, this is the walking I referenced at the beginning of this piece. Those extremist politicians who seem hellbent on demolishing the programs and policies that help keep moms and their children safe need to stop talking and come walking. I want them to see the devastation that is caused by their willful inaction on guns, and then explain to us how they can possibly be okay with further inaction. I want them to witness the trauma of families torn apart by violence and outline how separating families through violent immigration policies is acceptable. I want them to walk alongside families who have experienced unimaginable grief, and then tell us why they won’t do more to stop the grieving.

But I also want them to see joy. One of the things I heard over and over again this past Sunday was how much people enjoyed being together — how they needed to be together. It’s healing and inspiring, and wow does this country need more healing and inspiration. I want them to walk, see, listen, FEEL. I want them to experience what it looks like when lots of different kinds of people come together in shared purpose, to bear witness to pain while also practicing joy. Who collectively dream about the world they want to create. Who show up for each other.

I want them to face the very real people who are subjected to very real harm as a result of their extremist policies. And then I want to invite them to think differently.

How the world would be different if they took that walk and accepted that invitation. That would be a true gift on Mother’s Day.