LTE: A Tale of Two Mother’s Days

Today is Mother’s Day. It should be a time for celebrating mothers everywhere. Disgustingly, that won’t happen for one family in Worcester. That’s because masked government thugs – supposedly from ICE but in reality, from who knows where (my money’s on the Proud Boys) – violently snatched the mother of that family right off the street in broad daylight.

My wife, Janet Boivin, works in Worcester at a community clinic that provides healthcare for the needy, including immigrants. She and her colleagues have had to undergo training on what to do if ICE shows up at the door. Ridiculous! And if anyone knows Janet, they know she will not stand idly by. She may be tiny, but she is fierce.

What is happening in Worcester is timely, if only because today is Mother’s Day. Its roots in our country go back to 1870. Julia Ward Howe, author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and an abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, and peace activist, was horrified by the death and destruction she saw in the Civil War and concerned about a Franco-Prussian war then unfolding.

How Julia Ward Howe played a crucial role in the early history of Mother’s Day. 

She issued what has come to be known as the first “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in our country. Howe urged the creation of an international body of women who could find ways to avoid war and bloodshed, saying: “I earnestly ask that a general congress of women, without limit of nationality, may be appointed … to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.”

My mother, Peg Boivin, has been a lifelong community activist. Even though she is now in her 90s, she still follows in Ward’s footsteps. She recently told me a story about 1968. At the time, she was the mother of six children, all still in elementary school.

She was watching the Chicago Police riot in Grant Park during the Democratic National Convention that year on television. She couldn’t believe what she saw, so she got on the Illinois Central train and rode up to Grant Park. She saw what was going on. And still couldn’t believe that could happen in our country.

In her late 80s, while being treated for cancer, my Mom marched at the Daley Center with Pro-Choice folks. (Rally exit tip she shared with me: If you are doing chemo and wearing a bandana, mention that to someone nearby – the word gets out quickly and the crowd parts like Moses is raising his staff.)

My Mom worked into her 90s as an election judge and was President of the League of Women Voters in the South Suburbs. She frequently registered students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School for their first election. She also volunteered at the Cancer Society’s resale gift shop in our hometown, Homewood, IL, well into her 90s.

My Mom still volunteers for PADS – Public Access to Deliver Shelter – in the South Suburbs, making meals and working with other noble folks to find shelter for the homeless. Until recently, she was president of the Friends of the Library, where she still volunteers twice weekly. She’s a complex role model to live up to. I will miss being with her this Mother’s Day.

Now think of what this family in Worcester will be missing today. A posse of government fascists throws this mother’s daughter to the ground while they snatch her off the street in broad daylight. When this family’s courageous neighbors tried to intervene, requesting to see the warrants that these brutes BY LAW need to present to even talk to these folks, the Worcester Police came on the scene and cleared the way for the government goons to do their filthy work. Off the mother went, to who knows where?

Mother’s Day in America: Questioning Family Values and Government Actions

• What kind of country have we become that two days before Mother’s Day, we have armed ruffians, sanctioned by our country’s executive branch, snatching a mother away from her children?
• How does that meet the spirit of what Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day is supposed to be about?
• How can a political party that supposedly hinges on family values allow this to continue?
• What can you and I do about it when our government ignores fundamental human rights?

If you’re in Worcester or the surrounding area, there is one thing you can do. Today, Janet and I will be commemorating Mother’s Day at the 50501 Hands Off Worcester Mothers protest on Worcester Common—celebrating isn’t the right word in these turbulent times.

This emergency protest at 2 P.M. has been called to support this family and all immigrants, and to demand an end to these government goons kidnapping people and violating their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights. Remember, if they violate her civil rights, they can violate yours.

I would rather take my wife out for a lovely Mother’s Day brunch, but here we are. And it seems to be the best way to honor my Mother’s lifelong service on her special day. If she could, I know she would be there with us. I hope you will join us. Be like my Mom.

To all the Mothers of the World: Peace.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HopNews. Letters may be edited for clarity, grammar, and length.