What’s with the name?

It all began with an inquiry. Growing up in the United States, I had learned from an early age that the “Founding Fathers” were some “great men for whom we have to thank for the freedoms + rights that we enjoy today.” Of course, I later on learned that that’s not the full story — that not “all people” were included in these initial Bill of Rights, and that the very process of creating these articles involved great harm to so many others.

It became apparent that perhaps what the Founding Fathers created wasn’t so great, after all. 

Around this same era, I was increasingly aware of a contrast in how the “masculine” and all of its forms was treated, revered, centered, and respected in our culture, whereas the “feminine” and all of its embodiments was often objectified, diminished, and viewed as less-than-desirable. I saw how this was showing up within myself, and how it was showing up in others, no matter how they personally identified. As a culture at large, I could see how that translated to the way we treated one another, our planet, how we saw an increase in mental health challenges, and what we valued (i.e. working hard, productivity, and competition) — and what we didn’t (rest, empathy, collaboration). 

At first, I latched onto the narrative of “feminine” and “masculine” as dichotomies that express themselves in everything. Over time, I recognized that there may even be something to examine within this binary thinking itself. 

Throughout my spiralic journey of exploring different perspectives within myself and around me, an inquiry grew within me, louder and louder, asking: “What about the Founding Mothers?” 

And so, Founding Mothers was born. 

While I initially tried to fit this idea into a defined box, it never really wanted to be defined. It wanted to be discovered, uncovered, and followed … as a question. Its essence was the inquiry. (There are lessons to be named within that fact — but that’s for another time.)