[USA]: Moms with young children and nursing babies need your help with the DNC!

[bialogue]

We're answering a call to action from the National Organization for Women ~ Pacific Shore OC branch and their venerable (and out bisexual we're mighty proud to say) organizer Zoe Nicholson. It seems that children will not be allowed access on the floor of the Democratic National Convention and that daycare will not be provided for delegates who

Comments

[astridmyrna]

SIGNED.

[mamablotto]

THIS SO HARD. seriously, can you imagine how boring the DNC floor would be for a kid?

[romp]

I suspect the parents who need/want to take their kids would have thought of this. I don't think you need to worry.

[fenris_lorsrai]

For some of the older ones past toddler stage, they're most into imitative play and just sucking up from observation what's expected of them. what is expected of me? oh, taking part in the democratic process just like Mommy? that'll fix in a hell of a lot of kids brains.

why play house when you can play representative democracy?

I went to a hell of a lot of public town halls (the real kind, not these scripted bullshit ones), committee meetings, caucuses, and got taken to vote on everything. somewhere we have pictures of my mother carry me around as a wee one when she was campaigning for reelection to Planning and Zoning. smaller government venues are a bit more relaxed, but that was still 33 years ago. this should not be that hard to do today.

There is value in kids simply being present for this sort of thing. it is a great investment in the future. Not all the kids past toddler stage will directly REMEMBER it, but they will likely still pick up something of the event. right, active participation in government is what women DO.

[romp]

nice timing! Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities is about to come out

I went to Google China Martens 'cause I know she's written about this, though for more radical activists than most at the DNC, and found the book. Thanks for posting this, OP--I hadn't realized this was happening. I'm going to amplify to the mamas I know on FB.

[azure_rhymes]

signed. i'm tired of the idea that moms are only moms and are not allowed to be anything else, and i don't like the idea of kids not being allowed to be part of the convention!! kids should be able to see how the political process looks up close if they are old enough, and kids that are too young to understand should be provided childcare as close to the convention events as possible. and ofc nursing babies should be able to be around their moms!

what the heck, DNC! i'm one of them crotchety childfree assholes and i think this is shitty. come on now. (i'm actually not that crotchety....... i want to be a history teacher and wHAT A BETTER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY THAN LETTING KIDS BE PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION I MEAN RLY.)

[azure_rhymes]

i mean i guess that makes sense but if it's the choice between the delegates not being able to bring their kids and not being able to go, and them bringing their kids and being able to attend, i'm gonna pick the second one.

[amyura]

Signed. We're supposed to be the good guys-- WTF is this shit? I've argued for years that REAL family values aren't being anti-choice, homophobic, and sexist, but about making things easier for families-- better accommodation of nursing moms, better parental leave, subsidized childcare. Those are things that the Democrats are supposed to stand for.