Is MOMS Club International Racist???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure a number of you have heard of MOMS Club, which is an organization for stay-at-home moms, moms offering moms support during daytime hours. For those of you who don't know, MOMS Club International (a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization) has provided a club forum that has divided stay-at-home moms from working moms for years. Many have joined in spite of the divide it puts up between working and non working moms, because people are desperate for friends. Most people I know who joined a MOMS Club chapter ended up dropping out because they see how it divides women, because they go back to work, or because they drop out after they make their friends.

Anyway, this archaic club has weathered through the years, in spite of finding ways to exclude working mothers from its group. Well, the $hit has finally hit the fan with this organization. The International Organization is accused of perpetuating racism:

"It has recently come to light that the International MOMS Club organization has chosen to remain on the wrong side of history. They are clinging to the status quo and refusing to acknowledge current events. They have refused to issue any sort of statement condemning racial inequality or pledge any kind of action against it.
Their excuse is that engaging in political activity jeopardizes our 501(c)(3) status. This is so outrageous. The laws around it only prohibit our club from endorsing candidates. Besides which, when did it become political to acknowledge racism and commit to learning and growing?"

"It all began with a chapter posting a beautiful photo collage promising that racial discrimination will end with their children. International refused to share it, claiming that it was political. The chapter was so shocked and disappointed with the terrible responses provided, and have disbanded. International has chosen to remain silent still. We encourage you to sign and share our petition and also share your thoughts and concerns at [e-mail] . We feel that the founder must step aside to allow for leadership that is more in line with their members beliefs. “ See: https://www.change.org/p/moms-club-call-for-international-moms-club-founder-mary-james-to-resign-amid-racism-scandal

A number of chapters around the country are now disbanding from the organization, including several in the DC area. There is a Facebook group for it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1358291397894998/

Thoughts? Are they racist, or within their legal rights as a 501(c)3 to not take a stance on racial discrimination? I know I will never join this organization ever again...

Not publicly condemning racism /= being racist

Actually, it does. Not publicly condemning racism is being racist. Why are you so afraid of admitting that?

That is absolutely ridiculous.

I don’t need a freakin’ sign in my yard or to post some useless crap on social media to prove that I’m not racist. This crap is getting out of hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure a number of you have heard of MOMS Club, which is an organization for stay-at-home moms, moms offering moms support during daytime hours. For those of you who don't know, MOMS Club International (a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization) has provided a club forum that has divided stay-at-home moms from working moms for years. Many have joined in spite of the divide it puts up between working and non working moms, because people are desperate for friends. Most people I know who joined a MOMS Club chapter ended up dropping out because they see how it divides women, because they go back to work, or because they drop out after they make their friends.

Anyway, this archaic club has weathered through the years, in spite of finding ways to exclude working mothers from its group. Well, the $hit has finally hit the fan with this organization. The International Organization is accused of perpetuating racism:

"It has recently come to light that the International MOMS Club organization has chosen to remain on the wrong side of history. They are clinging to the status quo and refusing to acknowledge current events. They have refused to issue any sort of statement condemning racial inequality or pledge any kind of action against it.
Their excuse is that engaging in political activity jeopardizes our 501(c)(3) status. This is so outrageous. The laws around it only prohibit our club from endorsing candidates. Besides which, when did it become political to acknowledge racism and commit to learning and growing?"

"It all began with a chapter posting a beautiful photo collage promising that racial discrimination will end with their children. International refused to share it, claiming that it was political. The chapter was so shocked and disappointed with the terrible responses provided, and have disbanded. International has chosen to remain silent still. We encourage you to sign and share our petition and also share your thoughts and concerns at [e-mail] . We feel that the founder must step aside to allow for leadership that is more in line with their members beliefs. “ See: https://www.change.org/p/moms-club-call-for-international-moms-club-founder-mary-james-to-resign-amid-racism-scandal

A number of chapters around the country are now disbanding from the organization, including several in the DC area. There is a Facebook group for it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1358291397894998/

Thoughts? Are they racist, or within their legal rights as a 501(c)3 to not take a stance on racial discrimination? I know I will never join this organization ever again...

Not publicly condemning racism /= being racist

ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS POST THE COLLAGE! That’s it. Just post the picture collage referenced in the original post. And put a statement on their website. Dassit. The bare minimum to show that they’re at least somewhat connected to the world at large. The same that other nonprofits did - like MOPS, Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, The Y, and many many others.

Why is MOMS Club the only nonprofit that says that an anti-racism statement is “political?” Ask yourself that and figure out where their political views really are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I joined Moms Club when DD was a baby and it was great for a while. Then they started telling us we had to turn people away for not living in the right zip code. Also they have rules about what you can spend dues money on. A few of us decided to disband and start our own group but some remained loyal. So now there are two groups where we live. Having said that, I do work FT and so did some of the other Moms. That was never an issue. Most of our activities were during the day mid week but not everyone works 40 hr weeks 9-5.

Members are supposed to join the chapter to which their zip code is zoned. Nobody is turned away, they are assigned to their local club. You are trying really hard to imply something that isn't there.

Yes they were. There wasnt a chapter in their own zip code. Not everyone wants to start a new group, especially with a baby. You want to join something already established.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure a number of you have heard of MOMS Club, which is an organization for stay-at-home moms, moms offering moms support during daytime hours. For those of you who don't know, MOMS Club International (a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization) has provided a club forum that has divided stay-at-home moms from working moms for years. Many have joined in spite of the divide it puts up between working and non working moms, because people are desperate for friends. Most people I know who joined a MOMS Club chapter ended up dropping out because they see how it divides women, because they go back to work, or because they drop out after they make their friends.

Anyway, this archaic club has weathered through the years, in spite of finding ways to exclude working mothers from its group. Well, the $hit has finally hit the fan with this organization. The International Organization is accused of perpetuating racism:

"It has recently come to light that the International MOMS Club organization has chosen to remain on the wrong side of history. They are clinging to the status quo and refusing to acknowledge current events. They have refused to issue any sort of statement condemning racial inequality or pledge any kind of action against it.
Their excuse is that engaging in political activity jeopardizes our 501(c)(3) status. This is so outrageous. The laws around it only prohibit our club from endorsing candidates. Besides which, when did it become political to acknowledge racism and commit to learning and growing?"

"It all began with a chapter posting a beautiful photo collage promising that racial discrimination will end with their children. International refused to share it, claiming that it was political. The chapter was so shocked and disappointed with the terrible responses provided, and have disbanded. International has chosen to remain silent still. We encourage you to sign and share our petition and also share your thoughts and concerns at [e-mail] . We feel that the founder must step aside to allow for leadership that is more in line with their members beliefs. “ See: https://www.change.org/p/moms-club-call-for-international-moms-club-founder-mary-james-to-resign-amid-racism-scandal

A number of chapters around the country are now disbanding from the organization, including several in the DC area. There is a Facebook group for it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1358291397894998/

Thoughts? Are they racist, or within their legal rights as a 501(c)3 to not take a stance on racial discrimination? I know I will never join this organization ever again...

Not publicly condemning racism /= being racist

Actually, it does. Not publicly condemning racism is being racist. Why are you so afraid of admitting that?

That is absolutely ridiculous.

I don’t need a freakin’ sign in my yard or to post some useless crap on social media to prove that I’m not racist. This crap is getting out of hand.

+1
I could honestly care less what people post. Just walk the walk. Donate quietly to causes you believe will make a difference without publicly patting yourself on the back.

[Anonymous]

Do people realize that a post on Instagram doesn't actually... do anything? How you live your life day to day and how you treat others is much more meaningful than an Instagram picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I joined Moms Club when DD was a baby and it was great for a while. Then they started telling us we had to turn people away for not living in the right zip code. Also they have rules about what you can spend dues money on. A few of us decided to disband and start our own group but some remained loyal. So now there are two groups where we live. Having said that, I do work FT and so did some of the other Moms. That was never an issue. Most of our activities were during the day mid week but not everyone works 40 hr weeks 9-5.

It seems like my local MOMS group has a lot of women who work in jobs like nursing where they have a non-traditional schedule.

[Anonymous]

This sounds like a membership issue. Do you guys get to vote on who your leaders/ board of directors are?

I would start there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like a membership issue. Do you guys get to vote on who your leaders/ board of directors are?

I would start there.

No, the woman who founded the organization in the 70s or 80s (Mary James) and her husband(?) run it with an iron fist. There are a few other members of the BoD but it’s really all Mary.

[Anonymous]

The local MOMS club turned me away because I was a renter rather than a homeowner.

In retrospect, it's funny but at the time it was kind of gutting. I was in a new city with a newborn, my husband was working all the time at a new job, and I didn't know anyone at all.

The one time I figure out how to maybe make some friends, they say that their group is built on stability and they don't allow folks from the apartment complexes to join.

So, while that's about class rather than race, I'd say race plays a big part given what we know about relative levels of home ownership among different racial groups.

[Anonymous]

The MOMS club near me (Arlington) has never excluded working moms - but the point is to have social events during the time most people are at work, not on weekends (ie, M-F between 9 and 5).

So many moms these days take time when their kids are young to work part-time or work from home, and the club I briefly joined (but never really got into) was largely moms who worked part-time, or had odd hours like musicians, theater people, etc.

[Anonymous]

I’m a current president in a local chapter outside pf Philly on the Main Line. We have 90 members. We didn’t make any knee jerk reactions but educated ourselves and our group voted 89-1 to disband. We are in the process right now to do that. The absurdity of the umbrella organization goes far beyond not posting that collage. We have learned so much through this disaster. Our members who are POC felt like the group needed more diversity - it does, and we are adding that to our events moving forward. We are proud to have disbanded and are excited to take the next steps to join MAEVE, a new 502 c 3 non profit organization which will be inclusive to ALL moms.

It’s the change we had no idea we needed.

PS I’m a fully time working mom with 2 young kids. Technically I was not allowed to be in that group but I actually run our chapter.

Take that moms international.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like a membership issue. Do you guys get to vote on who your leaders/ board of directors are?

I would start there.

No, the woman who founded the organization in the 70s or 80s (Mary James) and her husband(?) run it with an iron fist. There are a few other members of the BoD but it’s really all Mary.

Exactly.
We tried for reform. We spoke to the BOD and were repeatedly silenced and shut down. Honestly. We tried.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, it’s only political if you believe that one of the political parties is for racism and one is against racism.
Hmmmm....

[Anonymous]

No but in some areas the MOMS clubs are run by a very conservative group (even more so than the general population their neighborhoods) of Christian SAHMs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a current president in a local chapter outside pf Philly on the Main Line. We have 90 members. We didn’t make any knee jerk reactions but educated ourselves and our group voted 89-1 to disband. We are in the process right now to do that. The absurdity of the umbrella organization goes far beyond not posting that collage. We have learned so much through this disaster. Our members who are POC felt like the group needed more diversity - it does, and we are adding that to our events moving forward. We are proud to have disbanded and are excited to take the next steps to join MAEVE, a new 502 c 3 non profit organization which will be inclusive to ALL moms.

It’s the change we had no idea we needed.

PS I’m a fully time working mom with 2 young kids. Technically I was not allowed to be in that group but I actually run our chapter.

Take that moms international.

Yes, but how did you all get together? Through MOMs international. If enough Chapters disband, it won’t be an option available to other new moms. So, it works for you since you’re already formed but at the expense of new groups.