Hello and welcome to this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast which I’m releasing just days before the March for our Lives. On March 24, 2018 the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC, and around the country, to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.
To help light the way, I reached out to Gloria Pan, who currently serves as the National Campaign Director for Gun Safety for the grassroots advocacy organization MomsRising. A public interest advocate and Internet communications strategist, Gloria also leads the organization’s member engagement, rapid response and mobile actions initiatives, as well as the #KeepMarching project.
In our conversation, Gloria shares about her upbringing in an Asian-American immigrant family, the impact of her mother’s experience working in the UN during the Women’s Movement, and whether the idea of living an E.P.I.C. life is relevant for MomsRising mothers, many of whom are struggling to meet basic needs. We delve into the E.P.I.C. guideposts from the lens of gun safety advocacy, explore the ways in which we can broaden our lens to make that advocacy intersectional, and Gloria gives us specific actionable challenges to get involved and make a difference.
One of the most impactful moments of the interview for me happened when we talked about the young people of Parkland, and Gloria shared her unwavering belief that those young people would use their privilege to shine a light on their peers who’ve been organizing for the Black Lives Matter Movement, for gun safety in their communities of color, disproportionately and daily impacted by gun violence.
The moment brought me to tears, because I really believed her…and sure enough in the days since that interview, those young people have been joining with students of color in Chicago and other urban areas, making their advocacy platform intersectional and building bridges where adults have failed to do so.
In a recent article, Cameron Kasky, one of the Parkland student leaders said “We have to represent those who unfortunately were ignored.This is not just about us. … When we’re together marching, this is not going to be different races, different generations ― this is going to be a unified people standing together against those who are trying to ignore us.”
I’ll be standing for all of that on Saturday at the March for our Lives and as I move through the advocacy challenges thoughtfully shared by Gloria and MomsRising in the days afterward. I hope you’ll join me.
This episode dedicated by:
Sage B. Hobbs, Author of Naked Communication and Host of the Naked Conversations Podcast. You can find out more about her work at:
www.sagebhobbs.com
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Topics Discussed in this Episode:
- The importance of modeling activism for our children
- How the MomsRising members frequently attend rallies, hearings and meetings with law-makers and bring their children along
- An honest exploration of whether living an E.P.I.C. is culturally relevant for families working to meet their basic needs
- The power of using social media platforms as a tool for exploring issues with people of differing political opinions.
- Our responsibility to step into activism to support communities under siege under this administration
- Audrey Lorde’s famous quote that “there is no such thing as a single issue struggle” and how MomsRising pursues an intersectional multi-issue advocacy agenda
- How the Parkland students, so “clear-eyed” as Gloria says, are galvanizing support for gun safety and using their privilege to shine a lot on the impact of gun violence in communities of color
- The policy prescription for gun violence prevention in an intersectional way
- Gloria’s E.P.I.C. snapshot moment where MomsRising galvanized mothers, through a storybook campaign, to successfully fight against an Open Carry Law in Florida that would have allowed people to carry guns at Disney World.
- Gloria’s challenge to our community to help MomsRising fight gun violence on three fronts
This Week’s Challenge:
Become a MomsRising member and fight with them on three fronts:
- Get FedEx to cut ties with the NRA – sign the petition here
- Ban military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines – sign the petition here
- Urge lawmakers to pledge to not take money from the NRA and reject their influence. You can also reach out to friends in other areas to ask them to ask out to their lawmakers
And participate in upcoming student-led events:
- March for our Lives on March 24th and document and share about your experience on social media to inspire others
- April 20th Anniversary of Columbine Student and Educator-Led Day of Action
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
- Follow #parkland on Twitter for the latest updates in the Parkland school shooting
- Read more about the Parkland students
- MomsRising
- Follow MomsRising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- #KeepMarching
- MomsRising Reject NRA Money Pledge for your representatives in Congress to sign
- Tell FedEx: Stop Supporting the NRA
- Pantsuit Nation
- Read more about the Indivisible political group
- EP33: Beyond the Trauma: Legacy, Compassion and Change with Mothers Against Police Brutality Co-Founder Sara Mokuria, one of three Mother’s Quest episodes recorded for the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative
- Article about the Parkland students speaking out in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement
- The young voices we aren’t hearing in the gun-control debate article
Announcements:
Virtual Mother’s Quest Circle Pilot
I’m excited to announce that the first founding Mother’s Quest Virtual Circle has been filled. If you’re interested in a future circle, and want to receive notice when the applications open again, please add your name to this wait list. julie@mothersquest.com
Mother’s Quest E.P.I.C. Life Check-In
Would love to have you in our weekly E.P.I.C. Life Check-In on Tuesday, from 12N-1PM pm via Video on Zoom
We’ll create connections within the Mother’s Quest community, reflect on how we feel along the E.P.I.C. Guideposts this week, and set an intention for the week.
Time for personal introspection, group accountability and community-building all packed into one hour. Are you In? Join the Mother’s Quest Community to RSVP and find the zoom link to join. www.mothersquest.com/community
Help us Grow the Mother’s Quest Community
If you’re finding value from the Mother’s Quest Podcast and would like to get more involved, please join us in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group, help us find more like-minded mothers on a quest by spreading the word and sharing your favorite episodes, and make a donation or apply to dedicate an episode. You can also share your story on the Mother’s Quest Blog.
Acknowledgements:
A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:
- Sage B. Hobbs
- Samantha Nolan-Smith
- Jody Smith
- Emily Cretella of MotherHustle
- Collette Flanagan, founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality
- Titilayo Tinubu Ali of Own Your Expertise
- Carly Magnus Hurt
- Lizzy Russinko of This (Un)Scripted Life
- Suzanne Brown, author of Mompowerment
- Mara Berns Langer
- Mallory Schlabach of Marketing Magic for Entrepreneurs
- Katharine Earhart of Alesco Advisors
- Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts
- Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner
- Genese Harris
- Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party
- Liane Louie-Badua
- Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast
- Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go
- Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions
- Erik Newton of The Together Show
- Claire Fry
- Divya Silbermann
- Rachel Winter
- Caren and Debbie Lieberman
- Cameron Miranda
- Fran and David Lieberman
- Debbie and Alan Goore
- Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast
Support the Podcast
If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.
If you would like to “dedicate” an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com
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Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.
Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).
Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/