Moms United believes the war on drugs, attacks on immigrants and on the poor all are interconnected. (A New PATH)
Moms United to End the War on Drugs was founded seven years ago to fight policies the group says destroy families and promote mass incarceration. But its lead organizer Gretchen Burns Bergman, who is also the co-founder and executive director of A New PATH, said she feels the sharp and sometimes violent political tensions of the past year have threatened to undermine decades of progress – not only in drug-law reform, but in a whole host of social-justice issues.
“The main message is: Remain vigilant, get organized, get connected, resist and defend our values,” Bergman said.
The complete list of seven New Year’s resolution is available online at momsunited.net. They include resisting all forms of prejudice and bigotry, and promoting peace and tolerance in the face of hatred.
Bergman said her years of advocacy against the so-called war on drugs have convinced her that it is intrinsically connected to attacks on reproductive rights and the poor and immigrants, as well as to rising racial tensions.
“And it was time to kind of expand that, and to say that we need to dig in and protect the rights of all human beings,” she said.
During the first week of January, Moms United will be using social media to promote the resolutions, which Bergman said will remain a focus of the group’s activities throughout the year.
Bergman observed that, throughout history, mothers have come forward to demand sensible policies for the sake of their children, and that continues today.
“Moms are saying that we will resist and protect, and protest and promote and fight,” she said. “And we won’t allow our principles and our values, and our human rights and dignity, to be decimated.”
