• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • mom

Can the hopes and dreams of new motherhood make the world better?

by Yvette Allen-Campbell Leave a Comment

Take the Mom power challenge and let’s fix this world

Courtney, a young white woman walks into a hair salon filled with all black women at different stages of getting their hair done by black hair stylists.

“Hi, can I help you?” calls out one of the stylists.

“Yes, um…my name is Courtney…and my husband and I just found out that I am pregnant with our first baby. I’m here because I don’t want my child to grow up in a world of racism and ignorant hatred. But…I know that kind of change begins in small ways and with me. So I decided to fight my fear and walk in here and say hello to women I would probably never speak to under normal circumstances.”

With a big broad smile, she says “Hello ladies! It’s a pleasure meeting you”.

Pregnancy is amazing in so many ways. If ever there is a good time to reflect on the bigger picture of life it’s during pregnancy. Adding another human being to our society is a gift. We all get one more chance for improvement, and there is a good amount of room for improvement.

Motherhood and Race

My 18-year-old son is off to college in September. So far he’s a success story—by most people’s standards. He is a young black man who has grown up with nannies, attended private schools, drove himself to high school and lived a generally upper-middle-class life. But all of that doesn’t change the fact that he also shares the looks of a gang-banger, a potential suspect in some law enforcement’s eyes, a menace to society.

This is every black mother’s stress. It doesn’t matter if you’ve “made it” and given your child the gift of a solid, supportive family and privileged upbringing. Racism exists. It presents a constant struggle and a scary, unforgiveable and unrelenting nightmare that is for-real and seemingly never ends.

But in the face of all of that grief and fear I still can’t help but to wonder and care so deeply about the real gang banger out there—the real “suspect and menace.” How much better would our society be if that child—and he was a child at some point—had been offered a life that ensured he used his powers for good, not evil. I wonder about the quality of his prenatal development and the nature of his early childhood experiences.

My son, just like every other human being, has the potential to be the social scientist that figures out how to destroy racism, or rid young people of their need to form gangs for a sense of family. He may not be the one to do it; perhaps that beautiful human being growing inside of you right now will be the one to help relieve people of their fears of difference. As you grow, love and envelop your unborn baby into your world and make promises to keep him safe from harm, also promise to keep him safe from all fears—including (and maybe most important) your own. It is within your power to help him learn to use his powers for good, forever.

Forever is a big word, and you’ll notice that I keep saying “he” when we both know your baby may be a girl—so let me digress for a moment. Men run the world. That may not always be true, but they do right now. Yet, before they were grown men running the world, they were little boys, completely and wholeheartedly dependent on us women, in most cases. As their earliest guardians and educators, we are best positioned to have a positive and lasting effect on our boys that lasts forever. (I’ll talk about our girls in another column.) Being good mothers to our sons includes challenging ourselves to think in new ways and conquer our fears of different—just as Courtney did in my little story. So take the challenge, whether you are a white woman saying hello to a black neighbor or a black woman greeting a white co-worker in the cafeteria, let’s use those Mom Powers for good, forever!

Let’s Fix this World!

Filed Under: Pregnancy Lifestyle

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Peaceful Discipline by Sarah Moore

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

how to be a good mother

How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect

By Sarah Moore

Aligned Parents webinar

By Paul Banas

Footer

Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Gentle Parenting: 5 Ways to Lead with Love
  • How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect
  • Best Parenting Books: 28 Books That Will Change Your Life for the Better
  • Aligned Parents webinar
  • How to make sure your home is ready for the new addition to your family

Search

© Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT