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B ecome a H istorical D ocumentarian
If your teen doesn’t already have an internship, the summer could provide the perfect opportunity to shadow a job. Are they set on going to law school? Curious about design and computer science? Encourage them to reach out to local businesses to see if they can job shadow an employee for a day. It’s also a good way for them to improve their communication skills and learn how to interact with professionals. They’ll explore some of their passions and perhaps find new ones. E xplore L ocal C ulture There’s a treasure trove of culture in your community if you know where to find it. Challenge your teen to explore local culture. This could include visits to a restaurant that serves food they’re unfamiliar with, checking out a museum, or even meeting up with a friend from school they don’t normally hang out with.
Does your town have a story? Encourage your teen to explore your town’s roots. Equipped with a phone, they can document their work with film or audio recordings. This may include interviewing local residents and searching through newspaper archives. Have them take a partner for this activity so they have safety in numbers (and a potential camera person). B ecome P art of L ocal G overnment
Has your teen expressed frustration with the way the government is run? Challenge them to do something about it! They can contact their local legislators, write letters, or learn about the bills that are up for vote. Even if they can’t vote yet, getting involved will help them feel part of the process and prepare them for when they can. During some of the most recent rallies, many of the mobilizers were teens. They have more influence than they realize. MOTHERS SHAPE THE WORLD 3 of History’s Bravest Moms
I rena S endler (1910–2008) When the Nazis invaded Warsaw in September of 1939, Irena Sendler, a 29-year-old social worker and mother of two, hatched a scheme to rescue Jewish children from the brutal ghettos. Along with many friends and colleagues, she smuggled out nearly 2,500 Jewish orphans, hiding infants on trams and garbage wagons and guiding kids through a labyrinth of secret passageways beneath the city. E mmeline P ankhurst (1858–1928) Despite being a wife and the mother of five children — two of whom died tragically young — Emmeline Pankhurst became one of the fiercest advocates for women’s suffrage in the late 19th century. After founding the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903, she and her cohorts adopted an aggressive strategy to raise awareness for the issue; they began by buttonholing politicians and staging rallies, then progressed to vandalism, window smashing, and arson. She was instrumental in the movement. Pankhurst lived to see women gain the right to vote in 1928.
Moms make the world go round. After running the gauntlet of childbirth, they raise and guide us throughout our lives, shouldering the tremendous burden and responsibility of motherhood. Mothers are in turn formidable, kind, powerful, gentle, wise, fierce, patient, supportive, empathetic, driven, and full of love. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are three historic moms who never stopped fighting for what they believed in. S ojourner T ruth (1797–1883) Before she escaped from New York slaveholder John Dumont, Sojourner Truth had at least three of her children sold away from her. When Dumont went back on his promise to emancipate Truth and her infant daughter in 1826, she took the girl and fled to an abolitionist Quaker family, but she was forced to leave her other daughter and her 5-year-old son, Peter, behind. Soon after, she learned that Peter had been illegally sold by Dumont to a slaveholder in Alabama, so she went to court and secured his safe return. It was the first successful case brought by a black woman against a white man in American history. Truth went on to become a prominent abolitionist and a speaker for women’s rights, delivering her famous impromptu speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” in May of 1851.
2 • www.TyWilsonLaw.com
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