Grantee Partner Spotlight: MAMAS with April Ward, MAMAS Collective member
MAMAS is a feminist of color reproductive justice collective that uplifts the activism of people who conduct mothering and caring forms of labor among Black, indigenous, and people of color-based communities. We believe Black and Brown mamas laboring on the frontlines of families and communities targeted by state violence are among the most powerful forces of social change. Our vision is to integrate the voices and strategies of BIPOC people who are mothers and caretakers into social movements, media debates, and policy processes related to prison abolition, migrant justice, and the decolonization of indigenous lands. We believe this integration is necessary if we are to survive these systems and build the kind of connections and alternatives needed to build a just and loving society.
April Ward is a member of MAMAS’ Mothers of the Kidnapped (MOK) Collective, which includes people who are mothering and caring for survivors of Chicago police torture and frame-ups.
Kelly: Happy New Year and Happy Black History Month, April! We’re delighted to spotlight MAMAS (Mothers Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity) as one of our two new grantee partners that are Black-founded and/or led. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us! What, if any significance, does Black History Month mean to you personally? Are there certain rituals or celebrations that you and your family participate in?
April: Black History Month means absolutely everything to me as a Black woman and as a woman. I enjoy my culture, which is everything to me. I’m also a Hebrew Israelite. For Black History Month, we celebrate Passover and have Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement — dinners and eat unleavened bread.
Kelly: Thank you for sharing your cultural and religious traditions with us! I appreciate the various ways we celebrate our Black history and cultures as a diverse and diasporic people. So let’s talk about the Mothers of the Kidnapped (MOK) Collective at MAMAS, of which you’re a member. Would you please share MOK’s mission with us?
April: The mission is to save our kidnapped children and stand in solidarity with Palestinian women. The mission is to free our babies.
Kelly: How has police violence toward children affected you as a mother?
April: It makes me angry. It makes me sad, and it’s unnecessary and stressful. You don’t know if your baby is going to live or die when he walks out that door. I have two nephews, and when they walk out the house, I don’t know if they’re coming back. I don’t know if the police will harm them. I’ve had to have “the talk” with them and say, “Hey. Be respectful [to the police] at all times. Don’t do anything that’s going to get you pulled over or killed.” But it doesn’t even matter if you’re doing all of these things, because the police are still going to harass you or pat you down or pull you over. And they pull out their guns even before they pat you down. It’s traumatic for kids to experience this at 12, 13, 15, or 16-years-old. My nephew was 13 or 14 and just entering high school. He had his little hoodie on and the police said, “Get over here.” And I told him, just comply.”
How can we fight this?! It sometimes feels like we can’t do anything but accept it, because the police are just a gang like these other gang bangers, but they are a glorified gang, and Chicago mayors — no matter who the mayors are — just back them.
Kelly: Thank you for your candor, and I’m so sorry for what your nephew and too many other Black children experience in our city and country. No parent should have to have to worry about their children being harmed or killed. How is MAMAS trying to show and teach others that when police harm an individual, it affects not only that person but that person’s mother or caretakers as well.
April: Well, the way we try to show this is by getting out there doing protests, talking to people, and social media. At one point in time, I did not know what to do. I didn’t know other people felt like I did, so it’s good for us to come out and talk to people and tell them they’re not alone. People don’t realize that they are not alone, so communication is key. It should always be someone out there saying you’re not alone. We’re here, and if you need information on going about how to see your son in prison or want to see what’s going on in the jails, we can help you.
Kelly: Yes, mothers and caretakers having a community and support network, especially given what the pain that they and their children are going through, is crucial. In addition to providing spaces for support and assistance during painful and difficult times, MAMAS also creates space for joy and celebration. What is something the MAMAS collective did last year that you’re especially proud of, and what is something you’re looking forward to this year?
April: We were proud of one of our member’s two sons getting out of jail. We were so proud because we knew that at least one of our member’s children made it. The more our children come out of prison, the happier I become because we know that it can happen. It can really happen.
This year we’re working to get the United Nations involved in getting justice for us because the U.S. is not listening to us. The U.S. has always been a racist country and has done people wrong. We’re also working on mental health with people in prisons who have been tortured in solitary confinement, and people in prison, period. The way they do people in prison is horrific. I understand that it’s jail, but people are still human. They are not a piece of garbage. When you’re in solitary confinement, they don’t allow you to go outside. When you’re on suicide watch, they don’t let you talk with your family. They tell family members that they watch them and talk with them, but that’s a lie. The counselors supposedly come once a week or once every two weeks, but my son finally told me that they didn’t come. Prisons take everything from people in solitary confinement, including clothes. They don’t even get a mattress; they’re naked. So mental health issues are real, and we’re trying to bring awareness about that.
Kelly: The activism, advocacy, and perseverance of the MAMAS Collective are incredible. How can people learn more about MAMAS and support your work?
April: People can always visit us at our website at www.motheringisradical.com, on Facebook and Instagram at MAMAS Collective, and share our work by word of mouth.
Kelly: Thanks so much for speaking with us, April. Much love to you and all the MAMAS at MAMAS Collective. We support you 100%.
April: Thank you so much!