Mom's Briefing at the White House

I am no stranger to the White House.  I have memories as a little girl of many trips to Washington, D.C. where during one trip my family visited The White House during the Carter Administration.  One of my fondest memories is that of my sisters and I meeting the White House Butler as President Carter sat in the Oval Office steps away from where we stood.  At one point, I tired of visiting our nation's capital and didn't care to ever go back. As a political wife and former history museum publicist, I have grown to like politics (not everything about it), developed an interest in history, and love walking the streets of the capital of the United States of America.

Little did I know that two decades later my family and I would be given a private tour of the West Wing of the White House by a friend of my husband's who worked for the Obama Administration all within a day's notice.  It pays to have connections. It was surreal and will go down as the most memorable experience of my life.  So I thought.

For the third time in my life, I was granted historical access to the White House along with fellow Mocha Moms from Queens, Long Island, and across the country.  Why, you ask, is this historic?  For the first time, a group of African American women who are primarily stay-at-home mothers were given access to some of the Obama Administration's key leaders.  Wow.

I had little idea of what the day would entail.  Eight MochAmazing women from the Queens/Long Island Chapter of Mocha Moms were asked to arrive at 8:30 a.m. but our excitement told us to arrive early.  The excitement won.  We were the 2nd group to arrive awarding me, as the first person from our group to enter the room, to choose seat #1.  I don't recall knocking anyone out of my way but people have been known to block events out of their mind.  Just kidding.  I would later be asked to move down two seats to accommodate two national Mocha Mom board members.  I'm still okay with that.  I was at The White House.

What made this experience so memorable was being surrounded by other mothers who who are just like me.  Mothers who care about their children's health, fitness and access to healthy food.  Mothers who want affordable healthcare for their children.  Mothers who care about their children's education.  Mothers who care about the stories and struggles of other mothers. 

There were several memorable moments during the 3-hour conversation, however one take away from this experience will forever be etched in my mind.  As a mother you often wonder if the sacrifice you make to leave your career to care for your children is appreciated.  If the sacrifice is noticed.  You often wonder if you're doing the right thing for your children, family, and for yourself.  It is and you are.  The reason why we were invited to The White House is because the Obama Administration, the highest office in America, wanted us to know these three simple, yet powerful, words that make a huge impact to moms.  "We see you."

We all started to cry.  That's affirmation enough.

I look forward to sharing snippets of the conversation complete with loads of information you may or may not know about.  Stay tuned to upcoming posts. 
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