Mother's Day Call to Action:

On February 26, 2012, my son Trayvon Martin was murdered in Florida.  Now here in my own community of northeast Pennsylvania another one of my sons, Tyler Winstead, was murdered and he was only 14 years old. 

Neither came from my physical womb but they came from the wombs of a mother just like me; and as mothers we have to realize that these are the sons of our collective womb.

Trayvon and Tyler came from mothers who feared that tragic day, every day since the moment they had to release their sons to a world that feared and envied them.

They came from mothers whose ethereal umbilical cord is never severed; an invisible connection one thousand times more sensitive than the physical one and when cut before its time is one thousand times more painful.

It is a pain only a mother can feel. ..And I am sick and tired of us feeling this pain.

And as from the words of another mother, Fannie Lou Hamer; “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I am sick and tired of our sons and daughters being nameless causalities in this so-called great nation.

I am sick and tired of sitting back waiting for the next violation against our children.

I am sick and tired of picket signs, rallies and candle light vigils; and a moment of silence will not quiet the wailing hearts of the grieving mothers, nor will it bring peace to our unjustly murdered children.

I am sick and tired of loud mouth,  mock representatives taking media platforms to yell useless clichés into the air.

I am sick and tired of giving my money to leaders and organizations that can’t even come up with a good lawyer when we need one.

I am sick and tired of ministers hiding behind pulpits telling us to turn the other cheek until God comes to deliver us; because ran out of cheeks to turn a long time ago.

I am sick and tired of doing the same things knowing we are going to get the same results.

How long are we going to cling to being helpless before we roll up our sleeves and take command of our own problems, our own children, our own schools, our own neighborhoods, our own homes?

No offense, but I have sat back long enough watching what the men will do—and all they have done is held pissing contests on who has the loudest voice and draws the biggest crowd—but nothing changes because at the end of the day they hide further up our skirts than our children do.

It’s time to do things differently.

It’s time for WOMEN to take the LEAD.

While the world is debating about who did it and why it was done,
It’s time for MOTHERS to establish a new paradigm for change.

It’s time to get rid of the so-called leaders who can’t see pass their own brown noses.

It’s time for us to let go of everything that has not worked and begin with a plan that will work.

It’s time for us to realize that what’s happening to our children is not because of white people; it’s not because of injustice in our legal system; and it not happening because we are black!  It is happening because we refuse to accept our constitutional responsibility of being parents, citizens, families, neighbors, community!

It’s time for us to take responsibility; check, and protect our children.  Teach them citizenship, civility, and their constitutional rights as American Citizens; including their right to bear arms to protect their God-inherent right to life.
It’s time for us to stop giving our money to talking heads and pool our capital for the representation and resources that we select as useful and needed. 

It’s time for us to position ourselves in our communities to participate in the planning of school programs, city ordinances, and neighborhood watches, etc.; so that we can impart our input on the city governments that don’t know what to do with us.

If we do nothing for ourselves; how then can we expect others to?

It’s time for us to take continuous, persistent action now; because it’s too late to wait until another son dies.

I, a single mother of five, am ready to take that action and I call to all mothers of African American children to come together and declare this coming Mother’s Day a Day of Action; a day we stand up and begin to take charge of protecting our children by EVERY means necessary!