A California nonprofit is releasing a series of Mother’s Day cards to address what it perceives to be America’s changing demographics. You definitely won’t find these in the Hallmark aisle.
The cards, which are being released as part of the “Mama’s Day Our Way” campaign, feature images of same-sex, incarcerated, transgender and low-income immigrant mothers. Forward Together, the group behind the cards, has posted the free downloadable e-card series on its website. The cards are part of the group’s “Strong Families” movement.
According to the group’s website:
“Strong Families is a home for the 4 out of 5 people living in the US who do not live behind the picket fence—whose lives fall outside outdated notions of family, with a mom at home and a dad at work. While that life has never been the reality for most of our families, too many of the policies that affect us are based on this fantasy. From a lack of affordable childcare and afterschool programs, to immigration policy and marriage equality, the way we make policy and allocate resources needs to catch up to the way we live.”
The executive director for Forward Together, Eveline Shen, said: “79 percent of U.S. households aren’t traditional nuclear families. But at most drugstores, so many kinds of mothers are simply left out.”
She added: “I’m raising my own daughters with my same-sex partner. When they go to the store, they don’t find images that reflect their reality. So, they started making their own cards.”
Forward Together launched its card series in 2012 and people downloaded and sent about 5,000 cards. The group is hoping to triple that amount this year. 141 million cards are purchased each year for Mother’s Day. It is the third-biggest day for card sales in the U.S., behind Christmas and Valentine’s Day, The New York Daily News reported.
