By CK LeDaniel and Hostesses
From Brooklyn to Baton Rouge; from Atlanta to Minnesota; from Philly to LA; MOBB United moms are stepping out! We are stepping out of the virtual world, that is, and meeting up in person in cities across the country. Amidst selfies and swag and speeches – and lots of hugs – we are getting to know each other and our mission up close and personal, affirming the already powerful connections we have made through our phones and laptops. While our community is made ever more powerful by 21st century communications, in the words of Marvin Gaye, “Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing!”
So get yourself to a meetup. Step out of the computer screen and then step back in by appearing in photos like these.
Below are some highlights from the hostesses of woke mom meetups held recently. If you'd like to host or attend a Woke Mom Meetup, learn more here.
Aimee Wilson
Philadelphia, PA, July 8
As one of the first Woke Mom meetups, Philadelphia moms of black boys got down to business -- that is, the business of connecting with each other, learning more about MOBB United for Social Change, Inc., (MUSC), and beginning the process for our local social change agenda. Four moms, three in person and one on the phone, separately identified our school systems in the Greater Philadelphia area as problematic and in need for reform. This aligns with MUSC's focus on the school-to-prison pipeline. Other major concerns for our local area generally are voter education and criminal / juvenile justice.
Since we began the process to organize and strategize, our Philadelphia moms intend to keep the momentum going by scheduling our next meet-up for Saturday, September 30, 2017 at 11 AM, location TBD. Three of our boys who attended also had a chance to meet and network with each other. We look forward to building from our first meetup and becoming a recognizable group of changemakers.
Frankie Robertson
Baton Rouge, LA, July 8
Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. partnered with Progressive Social Network of Baton Rouge, Love Alive Church and BREC to host a viewing of the PBS documentary THE TALK-Race in America.The viewing was followed by a panel discussion on institutional racism and a brief Woke Mom Meet and Greet to allow participants to sign up to get involved with organizations committed to dismantling institutional racism.
The event was open to the general public and attracted a racially diverse audience to raise awareness about institutional racism and to discuss ways in which institutional racism can be identified, dismantled, and how disparities in policing can be eliminated.
Baton Rouge mom Davondra Brown did an amazing job serving as one of the panelists. Local moms “showed up and showed out” to help execute the event.
There were approximately 130 people in attendance, including the general public and partner organizations. There has been a tremendous amount of positive feedback about the event.
Missed it? View the documentary followed by the panel discussion by clicking the links below.
Depelsha McGruder
Brooklyn, NY, July 15
Just a few Saturdays ago, 22 MOBBs and eight children convened at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation to fellowship and share their concerns and hopes for our sons. I began the meeting began with a welcome, followed by each mom in attendance sharing her personal reasons for being there. These moving revelations set the stage for a great discussion and led to the generation of multiple ideas on potential areas of focus for the group.
I gave an overview presentation of the organization before moms and sons enjoyed food, drinks and a special MOBB United anniversary celebration cake donated by NY MOBB Raychelle Copeland. Photographer Margot Jordan captured moments from this historic event.
Sara Keary
Boston, MA, July 15
The Woke Mom resources/materials were AMAZING. We had five moms in total at a very informal gathering outside with our sons, but we all gathered around a laptop and one of us gave the presentation. We can't express enough our gratitude for the calls leading up to the event and the materials provided to us. We shared about the background of MOBB United, its mission, and goals.
Thank you to all the moms who made the materials and organized the calls for the [MOBB Anniversary] events. Two of us were already registered with MOBB United, and we encouraged the three others to join and spread the word about this wonderful organization!
Kumari Ghafoor-Davis and Annisa Cooke Batista
Roselle, NJ, July 18
Annisa Cooke Batista and I had our meetup at Central Park Restaurant in Roselle, NJ. Eight moms attended, and we had such a great time. Many of the moms have adult children, a few have sons who are incarcerated, and many of us have children under 18.
Many of the moms asked for more in-person meetings, including workshop sessions on how to have tough conversations with our boys. They wrote down a few of their ideas on index cards. We had a deep discussion on our concerns as moms as we went through the presentation on MOBB’s history, committees, and goals.
We distributed MOBB United Woke Mom post cards and How to Get Home Alive magnets.
Patty Garrett and A’donna Miller Garrett
Atlanta, GA, July 20
To commemorate our 1-year anniversary, 35 Atlanta MOBBs and supporters came together for a private pre-screening of the movie “Girl's Trip” at the Regal Cinemas at Perimeter Pointe. I hosted alongside A'Donna Garrett (no relation), giving a presentation to the audience about our organization.
MOBBs and supporters were eager to brainstorm ideas for issues we would prioritize. Although we did not yet set our next meeting date, we did promise to compile all of the information received and follow up with next steps.
MOBBs were treated to a swag bag with cotton candy and materials they could use to help support us in our mission to protect our black boys. After the meeting, we all enjoyed the movie. All in all, this was a very successful event.
Pamela Wood
San Diego, CA, July 22
San Diego’s Woke Mom Meet-up in honor of MOBB United's 1st anniversary was totally enlightening and uplifting. There were five participants, three children, and our educator present. It was uplifting fellowshipping with one another. We discussed our sons’ struggles and accomplishments as we broke bread.
In between races to and from the bathroom and football games with the little ones, we conducted a Know Your Rights teach-in, which brought forth much more than we bargained for. Of course, we learned the very basics of how to conduct ourselves during an interaction with law enforcement, but the other thing that was learned was that there is a huge need in San Diego’s Black and Brown communities for this type of teach-in due to the staggering amount of racial profiling and unwarranted arrests that take place every single day.
We all agreed that there may be some opportunity in the near future for MOBB United’s San Diego Chapter to bridge a huge gap by conducting a Know Your Rights teach-in with other community service organizations and inviting Black and Brown men and boys of all ages and socio-economic statuses.
Alycia Grace, Kimberley Alexander, and Amber E. Williams
Houston, TX, July 23
Moms in Houston gathered for brunch to celebrate MOBB United's 1st anniversary. The event was hosted in downtown Houston at the Circuit Entertainment Lounge by Alycia Grace, Kimberley Alexander, and Amber Williams, Houston's new chapter lead. The 15 women in attendance discussed the purpose of the organization, what has been accomplished over the past year, and next steps, including the further development of the Houston chapter.
The moms were excited about the opportunity to join the organization and to take the lead in MOBB United’s efforts in Houston. There was music, food, fun, prizes, and great conversation. The Houston meetup was a huge success, and all the moms are excited to meet again soon.
Peggy Bruns
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, July 23
A total of 16 people turned out for this event held at a Frisco Spray Park. There were 7 local MOBBs, a visiting MOBB from Detroit, 6 sons and 2 additional family members.
Although it was hot, we enjoyed connecting, sharing statuses with one another, sharing a little food, talking about both our international as well as local participation in our first year, and celebrating our black sons!
We've identified some items we'd like to work on locally and have set a tentative next meet for September 17, 3 pm, in The Colony. Thanks for everyone's participation and assistance!
Expand the panels below to enjoy the pictures from the meetups.
