When George Floyd called out for his mama, mothers all over the world felt it. That's because the love between a mother and her children is a universal language that everyone understands. That's how the "I Am Mama" movement began, with just one mother speaking out.
Kierra Henderson, who runs the Facebook page, Beloved Mama, has four Black sons, ages 7, 5, 3, and 2 months. After seeing the video of George Floyd's death, she couldn't help but speak out about what she was feeling. She wrote a post about the fears she had as a mother raising Black sons.
"There is an instinctive and universal language of motherhood, and every mother felt the heartbeat of George's cry for 'mama.' We knew exactly what it meant," she wrote. "We sobbed because no one answered him. Now we are answering the call in the best way we know how, as mothers."
The beautiful post didn't stop there. Kierra asked other mothers to contribute their own "I Am Mama" posts, and the movement took off.
After her initial post, Kierra took to her Facebook page again, this time to share an image of her with her four sons. In the picture, she holds a sign above her head with the words "I Am Mama" written on it. "I AM MAMA! It's a movement y'all! And it's only because YOU are MOVING… Us mothers are united and we are a force for justice. ♥️Comment below with a picture of your own children and say I AM MAMA!"
Kierra's post continues, "I AM MAMA – I am bold. I am bold enough to challenge and confront any and all racism and fear within my own heart. I recognize that this is the most important work I can do."
Quickly, it took off. Other mothers began adding their own pictures about what it means to be a mother in the current era. There are currently over 200 comments on the post, which is filled with the words of mothers and images of their families.
Kierra opened up to Good Morning America about why she made the initial post to begin with. "After I watched the video of George Floyd being murdered on the street I was speechless like so many of us were," she said. "But I knew it was time for me to start speaking out against the injustices happening to my people."
She continued, "So many of us wept and prayed. I did too. I prayed and said, 'God, I don't know what to say, but I want to say something.' Then I heard a quietness in my heart say, 'I’ll give you the words.'" Clearly, she found her words, and it inspired many others to find their own, as well.
She also spoke about what it has been like to watch the comments start to pile up. "One by one they started standing — it was in the comment section of the post, but I could feel it like we were all in the same room," she said. It's definitely moving to see how many people have felt compelled to share their messages.
Kierra believes this is just the beginning of something much bigger. "I believe that we are one generation away from changing the world, and us mothers have a powerful role in that," she said. It's a really refreshing perspective, too — moms taking their fears and turning them into strength.
She continued, "This could be a turning point in history if we all do the necessary work that it takes to change ourselves, to influence the hearts of others and to do the strategic work that it takes to defeat systemic racism." Judging from how far and wide her movement has gone so far, that seems pretty likely. But she hopes the action continues.
"Every mother can't go out and protest," she said. "But every mother can protest racism within her own spheres of influence. I hope that mothers are inspired to use their gifts, talents and instincts to finally bring victory to this long fought war against racism."
If anyone can make create change, it's mamas. It's beautiful to see how one mother used her own feelings, and harnessed her power, to start this incredible movement. Here's hoping it keeps going and that dedicated mothers, fathers, and human beings everywhere join the efforts in whatever way calls out to them.
As for Kierra, she's definitely doing her part.
