Mother's Day Supplement 10-05-2024.pdf

Mother’s Day and its origin

MOTHER’S DAY is a celebration of honouring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May.

Mother’s Day is a much awaited day for children as they look forward to surprising their mom by giving her gifts, cards, flowers, a basket of goodies while others may enjoy breakfast in bed or a lunch out.

The most popular Mother’s Day flowers include roses, orchids, lilies, tulip, daffodil and zaleas.

HOW WAS THIS DAY CONCEPTUALISED?

The celebration of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honour of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Mothering Sunday is a holiday celebrated by Catholics and some Protestant Christians in some parts of Europe on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.

The founder of the Mother’s Day holiday

in the United States is on record as Anna Marie Jarvis who subsequently became resentful of the commercialisation of the holiday. Wikipedia also states that in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. president who served in office from 1913 to 1921 and led America through World War I (1914-1918) and was also an advocate for democracy and world peace, signed a proclamation designating that Mother’s Day be observed on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honour mothers. In 1934, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt approved and personally designed a stamp commemorating the holiday.

Reports are that years after Jarvis founded Mother’s Day, she was dining in a tea room at Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia when she observed that they were offering a “Mother’s Day Salad.” Jarvis is said to have ordered the salad and when it was served, she stood up, dumped it on the floor, left the money to pay for it and walked out in a huff. For Jarvis, she felt that she had lost control of the holiday she helped create and was crushed by her belief that commercialism was destroying Mother’s Day.

During the Civil War, Anna’s mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis had cared for the wounded on both sides of the conflict. She also tried

to orchestrate peace between Union and Confederate moms by forming a Mother’s Friendship Day. When the elder Jarvis passed away in 1905, her daughter was devastated. She would read the sympathy cards and letters over and over, taking the time to underline all the words that praised and complimented her mother. By so doing, Jarvis had found an outlet to memorialise her mother and she began working to promote a day that would honour all mothers.

On May 10, 1908, Mother’s Day events were held at the church where her mother taught Sunday School in Grafton, West Virginia, and at the Wanamaker’s department store auditorium in Philadelphia. Jarvis did not attend the event in Grafton, but she sent 500 white carnations, her mother’s favourite flower. The carnations were to be worn by sons and daughters in honour of their own mothers and to represent the purity of a mother’s love.

SPREADING THE WORD

Mother’s Day quickly caught on because of Jarvis’s zealous letter writing and promotional campaigns across the country and the world. She was assisted by well-heeled backers like John Wanamaker and H.J. Heinz and she soon devoted herself full-time to the promotion of Mother’s Day.

In 1909, several senators mocked the very idea of a Mother’s Day holiday. Senator Henry Moore Teller (D-CO) scorned the resolution as “puerile,” “absolutely absurd,” and “trifling.” He announced, “Every day with me is a mother’s day.” Senator Jacob Gallinger (R-NH) judged the very idea of Mother’s Day to be an insult, as though his memory of his late mother “could only be kept green by some outward demonstration on Sunday, May 10.”

This, however, didn’t deter Jarvis. She enlisted the help of organisations like the World’s Sunday School Association, and the holiday sailed through Congress with little opposition in 1914.

The floral industry wisely supported

Anna Marie Jarvis

From one mother to another: The Fungs’ pageantry legacy

By Faith Greene

THE year is 1990 and the spotlights were lit for the first production of the Mother and Daughter Pageant held on the eve of Mother’s Day at the National Sports Hall.

The pageant has grown much more since that day several decades ago, moving from the Sports Hall to the National Cultural Centre to seat its many supporters.

And now just hours away from the 2024 coronation ceremony, it has become a household name in the world of local pageantry, as each year memories are created and bonds strengthened between mothers and their daughters.

The Mother and Daughter Pageant was founded by former principal and English Language teacher of the Saint Joseph High School, Mrs. Ingrid Fung, and is currently co-produced by her daughter, Dr. Sulan Fung.

Dr. Fung who is a mother herself, recently shared that there are three generations of Fungs who

work indefatigably behind the scenes to ensure the success of the pageant each year.

After a successful first production, the pageant was placed on the back burner after the death of a family member and again from 2020 to 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2022 under the theme, “Inescapable Spring of Love.”

The pageant promotes family and celebrates the bonds created by each mother and daughter gracing the stage of the National Cultural Centre, and even that bond shared by those families in the audience supporting and cheering for those on stage.

Comparing the first production with recent ones, Dr. Fung shared the changes they’ve made in enhancing the experience attendees of the pageant receive.

“Now, we’ve moved towards technology. Right now as we speak, we have LED screens setting up, and we use a lot of technology and a lot of graphics to bring the show and the stage alive at the Na-

tional Cultural Centre,” she said.

She related that the aim is to continue to ensure that the culture of fashion, love and pageantry “holds tight” in Guyana.

“Pageantry and fashion designing is one of our number one features in Guyana, so we want to keep that steadfast and collaborate that with familyhood and coming out together for the whole family to enjoy that. So, we will always try to be bigger and better and greater, and we just want to sustain that love in the future.

“We’ve had a sold-out show for as long as I can remember. People are definitely more eager now to be seated in the audience, especially with all the audience giveaways and all the free stuff being given away just before. So the Cultural Centre holds just under 2,000 people, and it can only hold so much and no more, but it’s definitely been a sold-out show for as long as I can remember now,” she added.

This year the pageant is being held under the theme, “Timeless love”

and will see 22 pairs of mothers and daughters competing in three categories: the Igloo Junior Category, Libresse

Middle Category and the KFC Senior Category.

One lucky member of the audience will

also win a return trip to London and a day tour to see the second largest clock in the world, Big Ben.

Members of the Fung family graced the stage to welcome those in attendance to the 30th production of the pageant last year (Delano Williams photo)

The Strength of a Mother

NOTHING overrides the love of a mother. Her unconditional love, unwavering support and guidance positively impacts her offspring. Her presence is needed, and her time wanted.

She is the backbone of the home, an influential figure in the eyes of those looking up to her, defining right there what it means to be mother. A mother leaves herself undone on many days unknown to her children, and bears the worry of finances, food and clothing, while balancing academic and her personal time.

The idea behind motherhood is a scary one. You are expected to know what is best for yourself and your child/ children, to know how budgeting works, to have faith, to be levelheaded and strong.

A mother’s entire career life is altered the moment she finds out she is pregnant. The mere thought of being responsible for another human being, with the hope of it not being true being the only form of comfort.

An American financial therapist, wife and mother of two, Lindsey Konchar, through her website “Coping With Lindsey”, helps persons to cope with motherhood, marriage, finances and of course mental health.

She listed 25 qualities of a good mother, and started her article by stating that there is no one way to be a good mother. She accompanied each characteristic with two ways of how to embody the trait.

At number one, she

told her audience that they need to accept their child for who they are. Ways to show acceptance include giving children autonomy - recognising your child’s need for independence and to allow children to express themselves through body language, behaviour, play and attire.

Some other characteristics include being adaptable to new situations for surviving and thriving in motherhood, attentiveness, authenticity, bravery, communication, creativity, decisive, empathy, gratitude, and being intuitive just to name a few.

Poet, Maya Angelou poem to mothers titled, “Mother, A Cradle To Hold Me”, said it best:

“It is true I was created in you. It is also true that you were created for me. I owned your voice. It was shaped and tuned to soothe me. Your arms were molded into a cradle to hold me, to rock me. The scent of your body was the air perfumed for me to breathe.

Mother, during those early, dearest days I did not dream that you had a large life which included me, for I had a life which was only you. Time passed steadily and drew us apart. I was unwilling. I feared if I let you go you would leave me eternally. You smiled at my fears, saying I could not stay in your lap forever.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers. May you find the strength every day to keep being the “phenomiMom” that you are. (Faith Greene)

Empowered by motherhood: Miriam Andrew Ming’s commitment to making a difference

- breaking barriers and inspiring women in Guyana

By Cindy Parkinson

BEING a mother is already a significant and fulfilling role for women, but being a mother who strives to break barriers and set a better example for her daughter and other women in Guyana requires extraordinary strength and determination. It is a challenging but worthwhile endeavour.

Born to an indigenous father from the village of Sand Creek in the Rupununi, Region Nine, and an East Indian mother from the East Coast of Demerara, Miriam Andrew Ming saw firsthand what a fierce, determined, and independent woman looked like after her mother, Indroutie Sugrim, and father separated.

According to Miriam, even though her mother was always a working

woman, she became the sole breadwinner of the home and raised her and her sister Maryann Andrew all by herself, and she did it with grace and dignity.

Despite the challenges faced by Indroutie, Miriam's mother never complained about their living situation. She consistently encouraged her daughters to speak their minds freely and emphasised the significance of education.

While attending St. Agnes Primary School in Georgetown at a tender age, Miriam explained that she found it very challenging growing up as a 'mixed girl' who never entirely fitted into the "box" of what society expected of her. She shared that she experienced being judged even before people got to know her or listen to her thoughts. However, she was raised with a strong mindset that helped

her not to let their opinions define her identity.

Although she couldn't comprehend the reasons behind their negative thoughts about her, she was determined to discover her true self and what made her unique.

After writing her Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE), Miriam was awarded a place at St. Joseph High School. Later, she was offered a spot at Bishop's High School to continue her studies in 2010 after earning 11 passes on the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam. She earned eight passes on the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) before receiving her Associate of General Studies degree in 2012.

Miriam, a high achiever, had always dreamed of becoming a lawyer and did

not want to settle for a 9-to-5 job. With this goal in mind, she entered the University of Guyana (UG) and graduated with honours in 2015 after earning her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.

Since she was among the top 25 students in her class who graduated, Miriam received immediate admission to the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago. This opportunity allowed her to complete her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) requirements, which will authorise her to practice law.

Miriam considered her acceptance to be a significant achievement for several reasons, one being that it was the final obstacle she needed to overcome to legally assist people, particularly women, in improving their lives. Unknowingly, realising her dream also made her the TURN TO PAGE 7A

Miriam and her daughter Samiya

Winners of the 2023 Mother and Daughter Pageant

Mother’s Day and its...

FROM PAGE 2A

Jarvis’s Mother’s Day movement. She accepted their donations and spoke at their conventions. With each subsequent Mother’s Day, the wearing of carnations became a trend. Florists across the country were quickly sold out of white carnations around Mother’s Day—newspapers told stories of hoarding and profiteering. The floral industry later came up with an idea to diversify sales by promoting the practice of wearing red or bright flowers in honour of living mothers and white flowers for deceased moms.

TOO COMMERCIAL

Jarvis soon soured

on the commercial interests associated with the day. She wanted Mother’s Day “to be a day of sentiment, not profit.” Beginning around 1920, she urged people to stop buying flowers and other gifts for their mothers and she turned against her former commercial supporters. She referred to the florists, greeting card manufacturers and the confectionery industry as “charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations.”

In response to the floral industry, she had thousands of celluloid

buttons made featuring the white carnation, which she sent free of charge to women’s school and church groups. She attempted to stop the floral industry by threatening to file lawsuits and by applying to trademark the carnation together with the words “Mother’s Day” though she was denied the trademark. In response to her legal threats, the Florist Telegraph Delivery (FTD) association offered her a commission on the sales of Mother’s Day carnations, but this only enraged her further.

Jarvis’s attempts to stop the florists’ promotion of Mother’s Day with carnations continued. In 1934, the United States Postal

Service issued a stamp honouring Mother’s Day. They used a painting colloquially known as Whistler’s Mother for the image, by artist James Whistler. Jarvis was livid after she saw the resulting stamp because she believed the addition of the vase of carnations was an advertisement for the floral industry.

Jarvis’s ideal observance of Mother’s Day though would be a visit home or writing a long letter to your mother. She couldn’t stand those who sold and used greeting cards: “A maudlin, insincere printed card or readymade telegram means nothing, except that you’re too lazy to write to the woman who has

done more for you than anyone else in the world.” She also said, “Any mother would rather have a line of the worst scribble from her son or daughter than any fancy greeting card.”

GOING ROGUE

Jarvis fought against charities that used Mother’s Day for fundraising. She was dragged screaming out of a meeting of the American War Mothers by police and was arrested for disturbing the peace in her attempts to stop the sale of carnations. She even wrote screeds against Eleanor Roosevelt for using Mother’s Day to raise money (for charities that worked to combat high maternal

and infant mortality rates, the very type of work Jarvis’s mother did during her lifetime).

In one of her last appearances in public, Jarvis was seen going door-to-door in Philadelphia, asking for signatures on a petition to rescind Mother’s Day. In her twilight years, she became a recluse and a hoarder.

Jarvis spent her last days deeply in debt and living in the Marshall Square Sanitarium, a now-closed mental asylum in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She died on November 24, 1948. Jarvis was never told that her bill for her time at the asylum was partly paid for by a group of grateful florists.

From left: Pageant founder Mrs. Ingrid Fung, Leanne Hernandez and Ja’Nae (Junior Category winners), Natasha Brandt-Johnson and Jadiamond Johnson (Senior Category winners), Shanice Simon and Le Shaunte (Middle Category winners) and co-producer Dr. Sulan Fung. (Delano Williams photo)

Empowered by motherhood...

first woman of Amerindian descent to be admitted to the bar in Guyana.

Miriam felt honored to be one step closer to her dreams, but she knew that affording law school would be difficult due to her limited finances. Despite the challenge, she remained determined and wise, choosing to write letters to various ministries to explain her situation.

people of our country and ensuring that I impact people in a very meaningful way. They heard me, and I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from the government, and that is how I completed my LEC. With that, it also gave me a drive and propelled me to ensure that I did well. I reminded myself of the number of people who lit-

Miriam admitted that she used to be introverted both as a person and a student in Guyana. However, she was thrilled to enroll in Hugh Wooding Law School and was determined to make the most of it. As a result, she gained a new level of confidence and became the vice president of the Student Representative Council and the Human

Mariam said, "I explained my story to them in the letter, and I also told them that if I’m given the opportunity, I will give back by helping to fight for the

erally believed in me. I had a village of support with my family, and with the scholarship, I told myself that I have an entire country behind me, so I couldn’t disappoint them."

Rights Committee.

Miriam said, "I found a new level of confidence in myself there, and I was one of the two Guyanese students who graduated on the principal’s honour's roll in

2017, with my flat mate and friend Saeed Hamid, who is currently residing in the United States of America. To have had the responsibilities of being vice president for two committees and graduated on the honour roll, I felt so content with myself; it had been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I am so grateful for it."

After returning to Guyana, the successful and innovative lawyer fulfilled the promises she made before leaving the country. However, she is now helping the people in a different capacity - as a legal officer and attorney-at-law at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, instead of from the courtroom.

However, Miriam said, "My job varies across the board. I also provide legal support to the ministry collectively, and I specifically provide support and work closely with the honourable Minister of Amerindian Affairs, the permanent secretary, and all the staff members within the ministry. I also have a scope that is specifically related to the Amerindian Act and all village matters because we are the People's Ministry. I try to advise and support anyone who comes through my door because it is who I am, my door is always open."

MOTHERHOOD

Miriam, while in law

school, became engaged to her husband, Samuel Ming, and eventually got married. Despite her academic accomplishments, Miriam finds being a mother to be the most fulfilling aspect of her life.

According to her, "I have two nephews, and I always said that they made me feel like a mom, and they have a special place in

kids to do more than we did. I want to make the world a better place for her and other children as well."

my heart; they are my first babies, but to have my own little girl and to have gone through that experience is special. I got pregnant during the pandemic, so I had a very intimate pregnancy, and it was scary to have gone through it, especially during those times since it wasn’t conventional labour. It was just me and my husband, but even though I wanted to have a natural birth so badly, that wasn’t the case. Due to medical reasons, I had to have a caesarean (C-section). I struggled a little bit with it, but it was all worth it because at the end of the day I had this beautiful baby girl that I get to call my own, and she is my best friend."

Miriam said that her daughter Samiya had been a "huge driving force" in her life, making her want to do more. "I want to show her by example that the world is so wide and she can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to, just as my mom did for me. Like every mother, my hope is for our

Miriam has managed to balance motherhood, work, and family life while also opening a family-oriented and safe space for children called Peenie Bear's GymBearie school. This was a shared idea between Miriam and her sister, providing children with a place to be themselves.

"As parents and as moms, we understand the struggles that we are faced with, and we wanted to allow other moms to have a safe place to leave their kids so that they can run their errands or just have a moment for themselves sometimes," Mariam said.

Miriam took the opportunity to extend heartfelt gratitude to her family and friends who played an integral role in her success, and she made special mention of her late father-in-law, who, as she related, loved her and was proud of her and her success.

She also extended a happy Mother’s Day greeting to all the mothers across the nation and added, "I want to say to my mom that one of my greatest blessings is that I get to call you mommy, and I love you so much. I want you to know that I completely understand motherhood now because of you, and I am grateful for that." (First published Mother’s Day 2023)

Miriam, her husband Samuel and their daughter Samiya

Photo of Miriam with her immediate and extended family

The first woman of Amerindian decent to be admitted to the bar in Guyana, Miriam Andrew Ming