On this week’s 51%, we learn about mother blaming, hear about the immigration ban through a mothers lens and more, about mothers. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.
19th-century novelist William Makepeace Thackeray wrote: "Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." Yet the concept of a "good" mother, and what it takes to become one, varies across cultures. And what about a bad mother? Linda Fentiman, professor of health and criminal law at Pace University, says that American culture tends to point the finger at Mom whenever anything goes wrong with a child.
Fentiman claims in her new book Blaming Mothers: American Law and the Risks to Children's Health that a pervasive trend of so-called ”mother blaming” within the legal and medical systems has devastating effects on children. She explores a range of topics, from prenatal drug use to child abuse and negligence. 51%'s Jessica Bloustein Marshall recently spoke with Fentiman about her book, and about the guilt assigned to pregnant women and mothers in the U.S.
That was legal scholar Linda Fentiman, author of Blaming Mothers: American Law and the Risks to Children's Health, speaking to 51%’s Jessica Bloustein Marshall.
While serving in the U.S. Army, Minnesota’s Racheal Robinson spent 16 months in Iraq and she told her story in a play about women who went to war. KFAI’s Will Wright reports.
For this Mother's Day, award-winning independent producer and mother Ahri Golden offers an intimate journey into her response to the Immigration Ban Protest. Through original song, a mosaic of voices, and music, this piece depicts a collective response, through one mother's lens, for humanity, for now.
A Mother's Lens was created by independent producer Ahri Golden. You can find more of her work at www.ahrigolden.com, including a photojournalism series associated with this radio piece. You may watch a film of A Mother's Len's here.
We now bring you Dr. Sharon Ufberg, with her 51% segment “Force of Nature,” this time in personal essay form for Mother’s Day.
Ufberg is co-founder of the personal development/wellness company, Borrowed Wisdom, in California.
Also for mother’s day, we’ll check in with nature and see how the mother birds nurture.
And that's our show this week. Thanks to Patrick Garrett for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio
