Remembering Our Mothers

Mother’s Day will be observed on Sunday, May 11, 2025. The tradition of honoring Mothers dates back thousands of years ago. It is rooted in ancient Egyptian history. One of the earliest records of a society celebrating a mother Deity can be found in the ancient society of Egypt. The Egyptians held an annual festival to honor the Goddess Isis, who was known as the Mother of the Pharaohs. She is most often shown sitting on a throne. Isis and Horus were the world’s first Mother and Child. Their story can be traced back to Kemet more than 10,000 years before the birth of Christ. Other ancient societies followed with various celebrations of motherhood.

In the 1600’s Europe had a “Moth ering Day.” Mothers were presented with cakes and flowers. The early English settlers in America did not carry on the tradition for some time because they were too busy adjust ing to the harsh conditions of a new country. The first North American Mother’s Day was introduced by Julia Ward Howe. She wrote a Moth er’s Day Proclamation in 1870. She was also the author of the famous song called “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She was discouraged by the death and destruction of the Civil War. She called on mothers to come together in unity to protest the killing of their sons.

Julia Howe also called for an Inter national Mother’s Day to celebrate peace rather than war. These activities planted the seeds for our mod ern celebration of Mother’s Day. Let’s remember our mothers, grandmothers, and other mothers in our families on this special day. In that spirit, I would like to salute mothers every where. I would like to give a special tribute to the mothers in my own fam ily. Today I stand on the shoulders of these strong and powerful women. They include the following:

My mother, Gertrude Townsend, who was in the ranks of an elite group of women known as “Rosie the Rivet er.” These women worked in the fac tories of America during World War 11 and took the place of the men who went off to war. These women, both black and white, played a vital role in the economy of this country.

I salute my maternal grandmother, Caroline Virginia Felts born in 1888, and my paternal grandmother Leona Townsend born in 1886. They both worked on the farms of the South and contributed to the independence of their families. I am still doing research to find out more about my great-grandmother on my father’s side. I must pay tribute to my aunt Fannie Ruth Felts, one of the six sisters of my mother who lives outside of Washington today. She has been so helpful to me in tracing my family his tory. She helped me tremendously in helping to research my family roots.

I also salute my great-grandmother on my mother’s side, Emily Lindsey, born in 1854, She worked on a farm in Alabama. These are some of the mothers in my family who worked hard to raise their families, and who were examples for me to follow today. To All Mothers Everywhere: Happy Mother’s Day!!