White House Women’s Update: Happy Mother’s Day!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

White House Women’s Update: Happy Mother’s Day! Friends — Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours! Yesterday, the President released a presidential proclamation to celebrate the special role mothers play as cornerstones of our families and our communities, and on Thursday, First Lady, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a Mother’s Day Tea for military families in the East Room of the White House and we hosted a Twitter Chat with the leadership of MomsRising.org, Mocha Moms, and Mamiverse – who were joined by their children and parents. Additionally, please take a moment to read a new post by Lynn Rosenthal, the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, and Senior Policy Director for Immigration, Felicia Escobar on the risk of Rolling Back Protections for Domestic Violence Victims. We hope that you took a moment to watch the President’s interview with ABC News on Wednesday, where he said that, “I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” He made it clear that he believes that it’s wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships from getting married. Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for all that you do! The White House Council on Women & Girls Joining Forces Honors Military Moms First Lady Michelle Obama greets guests during a Mother’s Day Tea in the East Room of the White House, May 10, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)   In honor of yesterday, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and in support of military families celebrating Mother’s Day, this Sunday, May 13, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a Joining Forces Mother’s Day event at the White House for three generations of military families – military mothers, as well as their mothers and their children. Click here to watch coverage of the event. Rolling Back Protections for Domestic Violence Victims Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been an essential tool in helping to protect victims of domestic and sexual violence. While seeking to improve criminal justice and community-based responses to victims of abuse, VAWA ultimately changed the landscape for those previously left to suffer in silence. Read and share this important piece by White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Lynn Rosenthal and Senior Policy Director for Immigration, Felicia Escobar on the risk of Rolling Back Protections for Domestic Violence Victims. My First Job: Valerie Jarrett   Summer Jobs+ is a call to action for businesses, non-profits, and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for young people in the summer of 2012. It’s about helping people find their first jobs. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, and Chair of the Council on Women and Girls, says her first job taught her about working with people who are under enormous amounts of stress, the importance of paying attention to details and something that virtually every worker deals with each day–showing up to work on time. Check it out here. President Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage On Wednesday, during an interview with ABC News, President Obama said, “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” It’s no secret the President has gone through some soul-searching on this issue. In the end, the President said, he believes it’s important to “treat others the way you would want to be treated.”We need to recognize that people are going to have differing views on marriage and those views, even if we disagree strongly, should be respected. West Wing Week: 5/11/12 or “Teach Your Parents How to Tweet” This week, the President traveled to Virginia and New York to urge Congress not to let interest rates double on student loans and to introduce a to-do list for Congress. He also hosted the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the Fermi Science award winners, and this year’s Gershwin Award Winners. Watch the episode here. The President’s Weekly Address After signing an agreement that details our future relationship with Afghanistan, President Obama explains that we must now focus on the type of nation our troops return home to, and calls on Congress to take the money we are no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the other half to rebuild America. Check out the President’s weekly address here. Stay Connected Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr Google+ Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111