3 ways moms make great allies

​First, if you're a Black mom - I'm so glad you're here. Before anything else, here are two self-care resources for you:

1. This practical guide to self care for black people feeling overwhelmed by Reign x Shine.
   
   
2. This body check-in from racial justice author Austin Channing Brown.

The rest of this post is for my fellow non-Black moms.

Maybe like me, you've been grappling with what to do, say and feel in light of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and countless others. 

To be honest, for several days, I froze.

If you've followed me for any length of time, you've probably seen how much I love getting outside for exercise. 

To know that Ahmaud Arbery was followed and killed for doing the same thing stopped me in my tracks. How could I proceed with business as usual knowing that the simple pleasures I recommend to my audience are not so simple for Black folks?

It's embarrassing to admit that this has always been the case, yet I haven't taken care to consider race and racism as I talk about what I do.

If you, too, are feeling embarrassed, frozen, or overwhelmed, I want to encourage you.
 ​

Here are 3 ways being a mom make you uniquely equipped to participate in the fight for Black lives:
 

1. You understand how precious human life is.
   
   Whether you became a mom through childbirth, adoption, or fostering, you adore your kids. You see how precious their lives are, no questions asked.
   
   Let's extend that perspective to the sanctity of Black lives. Every life lost has been someone's child.
   
   
2. When another mom is in need, you're there with a casserole.
   
   Or a GrubHub gift card. Or the sashimi and beer she's been craving but hasn't had for 9 long months. I remember being kept afloat by the meals friends and family brought after each of our babies were born.
   
   The Black moms and friends in your life could use some of this practical care now.
   
   
3. You let your agenda be interrupted out of love.
   
   How many times have you had your whole day planned, only to wake up to a feverish kid who needs to you cancel everything? Just this week I had a PTSA meeting that I had to bail on to take my husband and toddler to urgent care (they'll be fine, thank God!).
   
   We may have planned to keep our heads down and make it through the pandemic, but let's let this plan be interrupted. If we care about our fellow Black humans, we will put our agendas on hold to hear their needs and attend to them.

​"How?" you may ask.

Great question! Click here to find out how to zap overwhelm and take steps toward what matters most. 

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