Mother’s Day Was Always a Protest
Humankind is made up of mothers and their children.
It was unsurprising to learn that Julia Ward Howe was an author and poet. A pacifist, she invented what we now call Mother’s Day as a form of protest. Howe wrote the Appeal to Womanhood Throughout the World in 1870, calling for women to unite for peace. She spoke and wrote about feminist values for years before this Appeal in which she made the case that women had a responsibility to shape society politically. That women, as creators of life and the people who raise it, have a responsibility — and a right — to shape society politically.. Of course, in the 1800s, that was radical. But surprisingly, in 2026, I would argue there still hasn’t been significant improvement.
In the U.S., mothers organize and yet still our children are mass murdered in classrooms and our tax dollars fund genocides. Our leaders start wars to distract us for a news cycle and tank the economy to force us into survival mode. The need for an Appeal to all mothers is needed now just as desperately as then.
“Arise, all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears! Say firmly: We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”
- Julia Ward Howe, The Appeal to Womanhood Throughout the World
Motherhood and political consciousness are inseparable. To be a mother is to be implicated in the state of the world your children inherit. Mother’s Day has always been so much more than a spa day. It was meant to be a call to action for all mothers to speak up for all children.
I talk, think, and read a lot about matriarchal social structures. I recently read a social media post that said humankind is made up of “only women and their children,” and it stuck. It felt like a riddle that unlocked something in my brain. The reason, I believe, systems of power work so hard to reduce the rights of women, control their bodies, and economically oppress them is because of the inherent power women hold. When women cannot control their health, their earnings, or their time, they cannot organize. That is the point. Our innate drive to build community, collaborate, and protect one another threatens capitalist structures. And if we were to recognize that and act to correct it, those who hoard power and wealth would be in jeopardy.
Women, mothers, invest their time, energy, and love into future generations. Studies show that women in leadership prioritize community wellbeing over personal gain at higher rates. If societies were led with these values, the capitalist structures modern life has been built upon would transform. Entire industries exist to replace what community once provided freely: daycare, rideshare, meal delivery, eldercare. A world with the village wouldn’t need to monetize those needs. And those who profit from our isolation would lose power.
Imagine if you could ask your neighbor for a ride and they had time to give it instead of ordering an Uber. Imagine if you earned enough from a 20-hour-per-week job and you finally had time to take that pottery class down the street. Imagine if neighbors pooled resources and planted community gardens to nourish one another. Imagine parents had the village we so desire to help raise our children. A world where matriarchal values governed rather than constant accumulation is the dream. Maybe in that reality we’d have the time we crave for hobbies, art, leisure, and community.
Upon learning the origins of Mother’s Day, it felt unsurprising to discover that Julia Ward Howe was a writer. It is the job of artists to examine the world and reflect it back to us. We observe, question, imagine. We are discerning souls who buck convention, resist injustice, and envision alternative realities. And on this Mother’s Day, I find myself imagining a world where everyone’s needs are met and where people have the time and freedom to create meaningful lives, not just survive them.
