Today in New York City, The League of Women Voters of the City of New York, hosted a presentation from WarMAMAS as part of a Military Voices Initiative!
WarMAMAS is a Miami-based nonprofit that provides mothers of children who serve in our armed forces a forum with which to share in their stories and experiences and TheYLife had the opportunity to sit down with the Director of WarMAMAS, Patricia Figueroa Sowers, to explore the program’s mission and in turn share it with each and every one of you!
Patricia, what inspired you to create WarMamas?
“[I was] Inspired by those 6 years that my son spent in the mid east. I worried every day about his safety and came to realize that there were millions of other moms whose children had been deployed for combat while my son was on diplomatic mission. I needed to hear their voices “
It seems as though in every aspect of life, Mothers are the unsung heroes in almost all facets of a child’s life; the goal of WarMamas is to shine a light on THAT Love, Strength and Vitality; more poignantly are the love stories of our American Heroes Mamas.
She went on in agreement that although, No one likes war, it’s been an impactful current for every generation through the ages… From the youth battling in the Civil War to our youngsters in WWII and Vietnam, now Millennial’s were molded by the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, the terrorist attacks which altered our hopes and fears and the processes of war, which changed our perspective on life.
When I asked Patricia about the impact she had seen in the way which Millennial’s had grown up, affected by the globalization of war throughout the globe, her reply was simply…. “Disturbingly desensitized to violence”!
When we asked her about today’s event in NYC and how WarMamas is hoping to educate folks from a Mothers Perspective, her answer was not only inspiring, but telling of the passion driving the organization!
“Every mothers story is an oral history which enriches and deepens all historical documents”
We went on to speak about how the WarMamas Organization is helping Mothers cope with loss and life after war…
“WM doesnt pretend to be therapeutic, but it does reconfirm the importance of the mother’s experience and perspective; this can be comforting”
If you want to learn more about WarMAMAS either to share your story or to help your Mama cope log onto their WarMAMA website.
‘This initiative provides a platform for all soldiers’ mothers to tell their own stories in their own voices, each narrative as unique as it is universal.’