In Praise of Older (and Younger) Women: from Mom’s Against Gun Violence to Janes Walk to the Brooklyn Bombshells, #BridgeToGunSense

Elizabeth Owens of VOCAL, one of the hardest working activists in NYC.

Mom's Demand Action on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Jane's Walk at the Whitney. Photo by Erik McGregor

In Praise of Older Women is Stephen Vizinczey’s homage to life and love and sex and romance in the cold war.   Over and over, this novel echos Einstein’s law: pleasure turns to energy.  The same can be said of good activism.

I was thinking about novel all weekend as I made my rounds.  For the last three years, I have taken part in Janes Walk, about the iconic organizer who helped show regular people can take on power and win if they are resourceful, saaavy, and thoughtful enough.  Like Ella Baker, I consider her one of the great organizers and planners of our era.  Scheduling and time conflicts got in the way of participating this year.  But my love of the event and its message remains.  Jacobs was one of the greats.  But there are so many iconic organizers, including my friend Elizabeth from VOCAL who took the time so sit for an interview with my Friday.   Women such as this are payving the way for all of us.

Elizabeth at VOCAL

Instead of Janes Walk,  I marched with the Mom’s Demand Action and Everytown against Gun Violence, over the Brooklyn bridge on Mother’s Day weekend to make the point that gun violence is a women’s issue. Its also an issue for everyone.  Every day people get shot down the street from us in Brooklyn.  Its too much.  There are too many guns on the streets.

As Mom's Demand Action wrote:

SAVE THE DATE: 4TH ANNUAL BROOKLYN BRIDGE MARCH!!! #BridgeToGunSense

We are excited to announce that our 4th Annual Brooklyn Bridge March will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 1 p.m. - text BRIDGE to 644-33 to let us know you're coming!!!

Celebrate Mother's Day Weekend by joining Moms and Survivors from New York- and all over the country!

After the march, the girls spent the afternoon in roller derby, skating at half time of the Bronx Bombshells match against the Bronx Gridlock.

"Go Bernie Slammers," we screamed, for number one.
"Feel the Bern!" noted the commentators.

"Bernie Slammers rules."

Number two, the Scarlett Schredder, was voted MVP.

The Bombshells prevailed. And everyone had fun, including my kids, who skated with the juniors  during the half time match.

On the way home from the match, a fan asked for their autographs.

Number one signed with an anarchy circle A.

"My name is after a book, the Scarlett Letter, after all," she explained.

Sunday, we hung with my mom, celebrating mother’s day with her and my gals.

There is lots to be in praise of about these fierce women, who’ve done so much for me and for all of us.  Thank you.

A great mother's day weekend. Thanks to all the moms.

Mother's day is not simple, as my friend Sarah Schulman writes:

For all the folks for whom Mother's Day is hell, hard, bullshit, painful, a pain, annoying, awful, pointless, and a drag: For everyone whose mother is gone, whose mother is inadequate, absent, fucked up, cruel, helpless, and not helpful. For every mother who got trapped by their kids, is overwhelmed, made the wrong decision, is suffering, struggling, controlled, can't find themselves, is lost. For everyone who wanted to be a mother and suffers because you're not. For all who must bear the awful burden of this day: I see you.