Not Your Mother's Mother's Day Cards

In 2011, Strong Families set out to reach and highlight women who are often overlooked in the mainstream celebration of Mother's Day -- low-income moms, young moms, immigrant moms, single moms, incarcerated moms, queer moms, and moms struggling with substance abuse, among others.

"Just about everyone we spoke with felt mixed at best about typical Mother's Day celebrations. Our family structures, stories and identities were missing, stereotyped or misunderstood, so we set out to change this," said Eveline Shen, Executive Director of Forward Together who leads the Strong Families Initiative. "We tapped into something visceral in these moms--the desire to be visible, honored and appreciated rather than targeted by stigma and distain. Additionally, individuals sent donations, artists asked how they could be involved; and we were inundated with contributions from bloggers from around the country."

Strong Families is a national initiative led by Forward Together. Our goal is to change the way people think, feel and act in support of families. Make and send a custom Mama's Day e-card at www.mamasday.org.

"I saw the Strong Families campaign on FB last year, and it was so tender, moving, and right on. I saw it as a careful dedication to the lives and love between groups of people who are often un-represented, or carelessly represented in media. Coming from where I'm from, being who I am, these cards made me feel a little more seen in the world. That I am thankful for, and that is why I wanted to create a card." -- Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski

Click through to see more Mama's Day and Papa's Day family cards.

"Chosen family has been a crucial aspect of my existence and survival as a queer person of color in this world. My chosen family has been there for me during times in which I couldn't go to my birth mother or 'biological' family. I also wanted to celebrate Sylvia Rivera's role as a mother to many struggling queers and trans* folks back when she was alive. Her work is still very relevant today and the legacy she left behind remains alive through the lives she has touched. I really wanted to celebrate this in my card." -- Chucha Marquez

"[My goal was] To make some art that I could be proud of and to create a positive image of a father of color and his child. You don't get to many assignments as an freelance artist where they encourage the kind of freedom that strong Families has. That in of itself is revolutionary." -- Robert Trujillo