Like many of you, I’m an Oregon mom who’s deeply committed to ensuring that fierce feminist advocates for family-friendly policies get elected this November. I support the Mother PAC because that is their mission. I’m asking you to join me in supporting their important work while dancing with friends at the 5th annual Dance Like a Mother at Holocene on Saturday, October 13th.
We can do the hustle, the macarena and a little jig I made up that I call the Wild Disco Mama while raising money to support candidates who champion the strong, family-friendly policies that Oregon families need. We can dance like our kids aren’t watching while we do our part to make things like paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, and equal pay a reality in our state.
We can boogie to the beat of wouldn’t-it-be-nice-to-have-representatives-that-actually-fought-for us and sway to the rhythm of we’re-not-gonna-take-it-anymore, all while advancing a more compassionate, woman-and-children-centered agenda in Oregon.
Together, we can do this, friends. And we must. Our votes matter, but so do our choices about who we vote for. The Mother PAC was founded by women who know that when we elect more mothers, more women, more people of color, more LGBTQ people who reflect progressive values and aspirations, we will elect people who will champion the kinds of policies Oregon families need.
I grew up in poverty with a single mom who escaped a violent marriage. I saw her struggle to put food on the table, to provide my two siblings and me with shelter, a quality education, and a fair chance of advancement. Now that I’m a mother myself (I have a son and a daughter), I understand even more deeply the challenges she faced—and I know those challenges are underscored and multiplied for women of color, women with disabilities, women who are incarcerated, and other women marginalized by our society.
If we want to create real change — if we want our daughters to have more freedom and independence than we and our mothers did and if we want our sons to reimagine notions of what it means to be a man, a father, a partner, a co-worker, and a citizen — then we must work to bring change. We need to vote for those who have our best interests at heart, and do what we can to make sure the best candidates get elected. I won’t tell you how much is at stake this November because you already know. It’s us. We are at stake. And so are our children.
So show up. With your heart, your mind, your money, your vote, your voice, and your body. Dance like a mother.
I’ll see you there.
Yours,
Cheryl Strayed