MOTHER'S DAY FOR PEACE

Did you know that originally, way back in 1870, Mother's Day was envisioned as a time for women to come together and unite for peace?

The Brave New Foundation launched a new short viral video in honor of Mother’s Day featuring actresses Felicity Huffman, Vanessa Williams, Alfre Woodward, Christine Lahti and feminist icon Gloria Steinem. The video celebrates the original meaning of Mother’s Day, founded during the Civil War as a call upon women to unite for peace in the name children everywhere.

The film features the celebrities and two Muslim women reading the original Mother’s Day Proclamation and sharing their thoughts on the meaning of Mother’s Day. “I’m not only parenting Mavis and Duncan,” says Alfre Woodward in the video, “but I am responsible for every child.” Actress Christine Lahti states, “Mother’s Day to me means a global notion of Motherhood, of course I think about my children and my mother ... but I can’t help think about the mothers of all the Iraqi civilians and soldiers who are dying every single day, I can’t help think about our own soldiers who are being killed every day, I think Mother’s Day is a day to bring violence against our children to an end.”





The film gives viewers a chance to honor the original meaning of Mother’s Day after watching the three minute video at www.mothersdayforpeace.com, by purchasing an e-card for their mothers. All proceeds from e-cards will benefit No More Victims, a non-profit organization which brings war-injured Iraqi children to the United States for medical treatment. Contributions made through the site will go to help bring Salee, a ten-year-old girl who lost both of her legs in the Iraq war, to Greenville, South Carolina where she will receive surgical treatment and prosthetics.

4th ANNUAL GRASSROOTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

Event Date: February 24, 2007 | This year, the NYC Grassroots Media Conference seeks to ask: What are the common threads inherent in our global struggles for social change and how does the media contribute to our understanding of the root causes of injustice faced by world communities? From educating ourselves and our government leaders to spreading our messages and recruiting broader and more diverse constituencies into our campaigns, media is central to the struggle for social justice. Therefore, the fight for better access to and representation in the media is essential for advancing peace and justice both at home and abroad.

Join the 4th annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference to explore these connections and strategies, and come together to demand a media system that will link our diverse communities, connect local and international struggles, and fight for social justice across boundaries and beyond borders. Register Today.