Have you considered what would prompt a grown man, writhing in pain and agony to call out for “momma”? Why would a man being beaten brutally by police officers plead for his “momma”? He’s not crying for his father, wife nor kids. He cried for momma.

I start with re-examining the death of George Floyd and Tyreek Nichols. During the torturous ordeal that lead to their death both men could be heard crying in agony for their “momma”. At the funeral of the latter, Rev Al Sharpton drew attention to this unusual plea from grown men who are in fear of their lives. 

Some mothers have completely abandoned their children. Some mothers abandon their children in order to seek a better life. Some give up their children for adoption because they just can’t manage. In this post I want to turn the spotlight on mothers who have given their everything to support and care for their children.

I can only speak from the black experience as that is my experience. Furthermore, we don’t see other people groups being abused this much by police over here in the west. But let’s peel back some layers. The struggling black woman domiciled in the Americas is well documented. She fought slavery so she could get her freedom. She fought to be recognised as a human. She fought for academic liberation. She fought to be identified as more than a housewife. She fought for the right to vote, all of which she got. The one fight that remains ongoing is that of economic empowerment.

In places like Jamaica, more women are matriculating to university and there are more women in the board room. All of which comes at great cost.  But we still have mothers working two to three jobs so they can take care of their families. Some clean toilets and wash other people’s clothes so their families can eat or go to school. Mothers go without food just so their kids can eat. Some have sacrificed their last dollar to send children to school. Many endure abuse, physical and sexual to acquire money to send kids to school. Ever so often we hear stories of women who even sell their bodies to get food on the table. There is no job that’s too low.

When as a child you become conscientious enough to actually recognise the depth and breadth of a mother’s love, it moves something within you. This indescribable connection and feeling of immense gratitude overwhelms you. In that moment she is instantly elevated above every other human being on the planet. The love we tend to develop for our mothers is second to none. Is there any wonder why the apart from Christmas the next biggest celebration is Mother’s Day? We don’t forget those who nurtured us. Surely, when you’re at your lowest moment the one person you can guarantee to be there is momma. The first person we think to call after a big achievement is her. Why? She’s always been there!

It is not difficult to explain why a man gets so riled up when people say nasty things about his mother. We defend our source. Mom is everything and when that gets threatened, males go ultra defensive. This is not unfamiliar to what we observe in the animal kingdom. Some animals are extremely territorial and super protective of their kin. More importantly, we recognise to need to safeguard this fountain of life, our mothers. She’s our earth, sun, moon and stars. You name it, she’ll do it for her children.

Have you ever come across an angry mother who believe that her child was wronged? An angry mother is incomparable to any lawyer, military unit or defence force. She will take on the whole school board and the government by herself to seek redress for her children. She will throw fists if it comes to it. If you’re a teacher, you’d better be careful how you treat her children. Trust me, you do not want all of that sauce.

So why do men cry? We cry at the thought of losing connection with our everything, our mothers. It doesn’t matter what your age is, you never not need your mother. Many men date and even marry their “mothers”. That’s why heartbreaks hurt so bad and of course tears flow. We cry for joy at the birth of our children, on our wedding day. We cry for friends in pain or distress. All of these reasons are related to our mothers, our source.

Mother will always and forever be our everything.