How can moms change the world? It’s a question we ask every day. And we try to answer it every day, too: We change the world by speaking up on behalf of our children’s future.
Maureen Reno, of Derry, New Hampshire, got some good practice speaking up in just this way when she brought her daughter Satori to meet with Senator Kelly Ayotte in DC earlier this month. Maureen was in DC for the Play-In for Climate Action, and she met with Senator Ayotte to talk about climate change.
Naptime activism is one of the founding principles of our Moms Clean Air Force community. Using a few stolen minutes in a jam-packed day to send a letter or sign a petition online is one way to make some noise. But sometimes we want to get louder.
That’s when we start writing letters, making phone calls, educating ourselves more deeply about these issues, and talking with our friends and neighbors. From time to time, we want to turn the volume up even louder.
Going to an event – a town hall, a community discussion, a rally, the Play-In for Climate Action, the People’s Climate March – can take our voices even farther.
But there is one stand-out, gold-standard way to have your voice heard by a decision maker: Talk to her. In person. Face to face. Sitting in her office. Tell her stories about your life, and why climate change matters so much to you as a parent.
That’s why we bring moms to talk to their elected officials. We do that at our state Mama Summits, and we did that just a few weeks ago after our Play-In for Climate Action. Photos here.
It can feel intimidating to sit down with one of the 100 people – out of more than 300 million in our country – who is a Senator in Congress. It can feel even more so when you think about how Senator Ayotte is one of just 20 women serving in the US Senate. And honestly, it doesn’t happen all that often. We try to set up these meetings on a regular basis, but it’s a rare Senator who actually takes the time to meet with us in person instead of sending a staff member. (Thank you, Senator Ayotte!)
But there is something very simple and genuine about sitting down to talk with a real person. Even a famous Senator, and a very impressive woman. Kelly Ayotte is a mom. Her school-age kids were clearly on her mind a lot as she spoke with Maureen’s daughter Satori, who was bristling with curiosity about all the cool art, medals, and maps in the Senator’s office. Senator Ayotte gave Satori a chocolate moose lollipop as a gift. And that special connection was the foundation for our discussion about climate change. Just as it should be.
Do you want to talk to your lawmakers about climate change? Let us know. We’d love to help you raise your voice.