As we all come down from our sweet sugar highs of another passing Valentine's Day we at MomsRising are uplifting sentiments of love as we continue to fight for moms, parents and families during these uncertain times.

This week we are inviting MomsRising members across the country to join us in recommitting to the fight for justice for families. Cornel West famously said “Justice is what love looks like in public.” His words feel both like a call to action and a moral charge for us all. Now more than ever we must remember that love is the way forward in the fight for justice, and there is no safety on the sidelines. We must all act together in our daily lives to fight for each other. Saying these words is not enough, we all must find ways to continue to show up, again and again until we WIN!

Ultimately, the actions we take in moments like these serve lift up our collective power and our collective humanity. Because these actions are, fundamentally, acts of love, for ourselves, for our neighbors, for our families and for our kin. So join us in committing to love and justice...In Public!

This week we have a wide range of important actions for you to take as you start your weekend from urging Congress to support the Counseling Not Criminalization Act addressing the school to prison pipeline, to ending the death penalty, and more. You can see the actions important to moms, dads, parents, caregivers, and grown ups across the country below.

-- Beatriz, Kristin, Sue Anne, Jordan, and the rest of the MomsRising / MamásConPoder Team

 

 

Tell Congress to Support the Counselors Not Criminalization Act

We ALL want schools to be safe but we also must be clear that there is no evidence that increasing the number of police in schools actually improves school safety. Instead it takes critical resources from what actually keeps schools safe and helps ALL kids thrive. The Counseling Not Criminalization Act is an important step in shifting resources away from practices that harm and push kids out of school into what helps students thrive, keeps schools safe, and ends the criminalization of kids in schools.

The time is NOW to stand for students and end the regular presence of law enforcement in schools. Sign on!

 

 

 

 

Tell your member of Congress to support the BREATHE Act

Beaten. Shot. Tasered. Pepper sprayed. Choked and strangled. When will Black and Brown people have a chance to BREATHE? MomsRising stands with the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of over 150 Black-led organizations that have come together to launch the BREATHE Act. This bill is for Breonna Taylor, Antonio Valenzuela, Tony McDade, Mohamed Bah, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, and the countless other Black lives that have been stolen by the hands of police officers and government violence. This act will ensure that our political leaders invest in our communities through education, housing, healthcare, mental health services, and address the needs of the people living in low-income communities.

Click here to sign the petition asking your member of Congress to support the BREATHE Act.

 

 

 

 

Tell Congress & Pres. Biden to Pass the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act of 2021

The criminal justice system is fraught with inequities including clear evidence that capital punishment in the United States is disproportionally applied to Black people and people of color. We cannot allow this to continue. The death penalty is as cruel as it is ineffective in deterring crime. Revenge is not justice and murder for murder does not provide healing to families or society as a whole.

The time is NOW to stand for justice and ban the death penalty. Click here to sign on to the petition to Congress. After, we’ll redirect you to another petition where you can send the same request to President Biden.

 

 

 

 

Tell Congress and State Governors to END Youth Incarceration

The United States, on any given day, incarcerates nearly 60,000 youth under age 18 in jails and prisons, incarcerating more young people than any other country. Even worse is that approximately 250,000 youth are tried, sentenced or incarcerated as adults, and around 10,000 juveniles are housed in adult jails and prisons – 7,500 in jails and 2,700 in prisons, respectively. The practice of incarcerating kids is archaic, ineffective and not cost effective. Still most states spend a significant portion of their Juvenile Justice funding on youth prisons, with an estimated annual cost of over 5 billion a year.

It’s time to tell Congress and state Governors to stop putting kids in prison and invest in support, services and opportunities for youth NOW!

 

 

 

 

Have your children and family been affected by youth incarceration? Share your story.

Have you or a loved one been impacted by incarceration? Consider sharing your story. Tell us how you, your children and or family have been affected by incarceration, arrest, bail, probation, navigating the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems, and if you or your family has benefited from community based alternatives to incarceration. Share your thoughts and experiences with us and we’ll include it in materials we use to educate our nation and decision makers about mass incarceration and what parents, caregivers, and community members are doing to address this problem in our nation!

Tell us how you, your children and or family have been affected by incarceration, arrest, bail, probation, navigating the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems. If you or your family has benefited from community based alternatives to incarceration, please share your story as well!