A group of nearly 200,000 moms on Facebook is using the power of social media to fight for social justice.
Mothers of Black Boys United (MOBB), which was started in 2016 by Depelsha Thomas McGruder, not only helps mothers of Black boys connect with each other, but is actively working towards changing how the criminal justice system and the police treat Black men, writes Rebekah Sager, a Senior Content producer for KNX 1070, a RADIO.COM station.
The group also hopes to change the perception of Black boys in American society.
McGruder, who started the group when her sons were four and seven years old, told The Washington Post that “at the time, my sons were still at ages when Black boys are ‘cute’ and worthy of childlike sympathy,” noting that public perception of Black boys begins to change by the time they are 10.
“They start to see them as potential aggressors, as someone who might harm them. They cross the street when they see them and they look at them with skepticism and suspicion, and may not want their kids to be around them as much,” she said.
MOBB has lobbied lawmakers since 2016 to help them advocate for their cause. The group's platform, which focuses on “education, economic empowerment, accountability in law enforcement, changing policies in policing, and strategic partnerships,” targets both federal and local policy.
“We have momentum and there’s a lot more awareness of the issues we’ve identified and talk about and more people are willing to listen and hopefully more people are willing to take action,” McGruder said about the collective power of the group.
In 2018, MOBB helped develop the Justice in Policing Act with the Congressional Black Caucus, meeting with Senator Cory Booker and then Senator Kamala Harris to discuss their goals.
Delicia Reynolds-Hand, who has been a member of MOBB for several years, said “we are demanding that deadly force only be used as a last resort after employing de-escalation techniques.”
She continued, sharing that “after the cameras are gone, we keep the conversation going. Because at the end of the day, the families are the ones left to pick up the pieces and continue lives without their loved ones. We want our sons to make it home alive.”
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