MAMA is a grassroots collective of radical mothers and kids. MAMA's members include working-for-pay mamas, stay at home mamas, mamas of color, poor mamas, mamas looking for work, former teen mamas, mamas that have used government assistance, mamas who unschool, mamas whose kids are in public school, single mamas, queer women, partnered mamas, and girls and women who aren't mamas. We are lesbian/bi/trans loving and inclusive and are open to all women regardless of age, race, income, non-income or parental status.

MAMA believes that every mother is a working mother and we are committed to making our society one in which mothers and children have a wide range of choices and the freedom and power to make them through sustainable organizing, mutual aid and the collective resistance of oppression.

MAMA is anti-authoritarian; we have no leaders and make decisions collectively through the consensus process. We work with the understanding that we live in a society where children and their caregivers are systematically devalued, marginalized, and isolated and that mothers, especially single mothers, are at high risk for poverty. To liberate families, we understand that our ultimate, long-term goal is not to reform the system but to end imperialism, capitalism and all forms of oppression. While we understand that sometimes our struggle will lead us to confront the system, we are interested in creating self-supporting networks outside the system for ourselves and the community at large.

MAMA works toward creating a child-inclusive culture within the social justice community and beyond and towards increasing free, public family-friendly space. We share resources and organize events in the interest of building a more autonomous, self-determined and sustainable community. The mothers involved are both actively challenging and changing pre-existing conditions and are the ones affected by these conditions.
MAMAS RISING UP 2003

All photos by Speedy