During the Week of Mothers Day 2009, Online Organization Increases Membership Fivefold
NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Gretchen Wright
May 22, 2009 202/371-1999
More Than A Million Moms Strong
The tongue-in-cheek video informed the recipient that she had been named MomsRising Mother of the Year, through a faux news story into which her name had been incorporated by the sender. The video included Beyoncé, a naked dog and a remarkably articulate baby, as well as a crawl describing the serious challenges mothers face in todays world and workplace.
Lang Fisher of The Onion developed the clever and creative script, which has captured the imagination and the attention of many viewers. More than a million recipients chose to opt-in and join the activist mom group, which works to support crucial public policies to improve the lives of moms and families.
Our video was funny and entertaining, but our basic message about economic security was extremely serious and thats what resonated with our new members, said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. With single mothers earning only a fraction of their male counterparts salaries, children going without health care, and parents unable to stay home with sick kids without forfeiting pay or risking their jobs, we have a long way to go before our nation is truly-family friendly. Our new members want to get involved and change that.
MomsRising.org has generated more than a million messages in the last year alone in support of several important family-friendly bills, including the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first piece of legislation signed into law by President Obama. It ensures that employees who experience pay discrimination based on race or gender have legal recourse. As a follow up, the group intends to put the weight of its exponentially larger membership behind the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen laws to prevent pay discrimination. The group has already circulated an e-outreach to its membership to generate support for the bill.
We have accomplished much already, but with a larger membership, we can do even more, said MomsRising.org President Joan Blades. Our campaigns to improve the lives of our nations families have really touched a nerve and this dramatic membership increase is evidence that people really want to get involved in ensuring that moms and their families are treated fairly and stay healthy.
MomsRising.org, only three years old, has received accolades for its leadership and online grassroots organizing from activists across the country and the globe.
The video was so well received that MomsRising.org has repurposed it so that instead of saying “Happy Mother’s Day at the end, it now says: Congratulations. Now anyone can customize the video to honor a mom-friend on any special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or a childs high school graduation. It is available at: http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/index2.html
