By Tilly Boateng
Although her vision didn’t immediately take hold, it laid the groundwork for future observances.
Decades later, Anna Jarvis, inspired by her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis, a community health advocate who sought to honor the sacrifices of mothers. In 1908, she organized the first official Mother’s Day service in Grafton, West Virginia.
Jarvis campaigned tirelessly, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Ironically, as the holiday gained popularity, Jarvis became disillusioned with its commercialization. She protested against profiteering florists and card companies, emphasizing that the day was meant for heartfelt appreciation, not consumerism.
This May, as we honor mothers, let’s remember the holiday’s roots in activism and peace. Mother’s Day was conceived not just to celebrate mothers, but to empower them as agents of change.
Long before it became synonymous with flowers and brunch, Mother’s Day began as a bold political statement. In 1870, American abolitionist and suffragist Julia Ward Howe penned the Mother’s Day Proclamation, urging women to unite against war and violence.
Howe’s appeal was a direct response to the devastation of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. She envisioned a day where mothers would gather, not to celebrate, but to advocate for peace and disarmament. Her proclamation read:
“Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts… Say firmly: ‘We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies.’’
