They talk about a Wall of Moms at the protests in Portland as if the presence of moms is something new — but the moms have always been there, in the streets. And they were there yesterday in Atlanta at the John Lewis mural and at the Georgia State Capitol when his casket arrived for public viewing prior to his funeral today at Ebenezer Baptist Church. They were there, bearing witness, and helping frame history for children who may not remember that they were there.
Moms are often not in the pictures they pass on to their children, because they are often the ones who take them. I am trying to locate these moms so that their children, one day, can see how their moms took them to bear witness. How they stood there silently with them or bent down to provide an intimate explanation (just look at the way that little girl is looking at her mom and taking it all in — what will become of that child?). I am trying to find these moms so that they know, that like John Lewis, they are heroes, too.
They are there in our communities every day. Making Good Trouble. Trying to do the right thing, and to point a way forward for their children.
As am I.
Traveling at the Speed of Bike 