Today, hundreds of millions of people are proclaiming “Happy Mothers’ Day to all mothers.” Despite this verbal and written outpouring of appreciation, many mothers are marginalized and disrespected every day. These women deserve and need the same level of love and respect that their mainstream counterparts receive.
The status quo and the state are not the only perpetrators when it comes to disproportionate victimization of certain women. The anti-domestic violence movement is not without its own contributions to oppressing mothers based on color, sexuality, documentation status, disability, and more. Anti-domestic violence campaigns have largely been developed as resources based on needs and situations of white women in this country.
As a form of honoring all the marginalized mothers enduring and recovering from domestic violence today’s blog post aims to:
Though the United States’ national anti-domestic violence movement has come a long way since it started in the 1970s, it has a long, long way to go. Factors such as color, sexuality, and immigration status create a disparate level of challenges for women.
The patriarchal culture that created The United States of America has long used violence, and specifically sexual violence against women, as a key tool of oppression. INCITE!’s page Dangerous Intersections provides a clear breakdown of how “issues of colonial, race, and gender oppression”* intricately intertwine to result in “quantitatively more issues when [women of color] suffer violence [which means] their experience is qualitatively different from that of white women.”*
“It is problematic for women of color to go to the state for the solution to the problems it has had a large part in creating. Consider these examples from reports from rape crisis centers from around the United States: An undocumented woman calls the police because of domestic violence. Under current mandatory arrest laws, the police must arrest someone on domestic violence calls. Because the police cannot find the batterer, they arrest her and have her deported (Tucson). An African American homeless woman calls the police because she has been the victim of group rape. The police arrest her for prostitution (Chicago).”* The examples go on, but isn’t even one enough?
The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness
The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness site is an incredible resource for finding organized links to research specific topics like intersectionality and violence against women of color, methods used to abuse immigrant women, educational links regarding same gender and LGBTQ+ relationships, and tactics used against women with disabilities.
The Mama’s Day Project from Strong Families knows that “All mamas deserve to be seen and honored in cards that reflect all the ways our families look.” The mamasday.org site guides you through a three step process to make a card that reflects your relationship with mamas not recognized in mainstream Mothers’ Day. The organization also runs the Trans Day of Resilience site where you can find more than information on the oppression of the trans community. You can discover ways to take action, and you can donate to their projects.
Tell Me More
I hope you're making meaningful connections with the mothers and mother-figures in your life on this Mothers' Day.
I'd love to learn about any resources you recommend for learning about and supporting organizations and campaigns that work to change oppressive forces that impact so many women so horribly.
*All quotes marked with * are from http://www.incite-national.org/page/dangerous-intersections#sthash.9RQi4mvh.dpuf
Rebecca encourages survivors of domestic to speak about their experiences and to lean on each other for support.