💐How One Woman Fought Against Mother's Day💐
Anna Jarvis, the inventor of Mother's Day, hated the holiday
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I. The Life of Anna Jarvis
Anna Jarvis founded Mother’s Day in 1914 and she fought against the holiday.
Born in Webster, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis was influenced by her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who championed women's clubs and community service.
After her mother's death in 1905, Anna embarked on a mission to honor her legacy, conceiving the idea of Mother's Day.
In 1908, she organized the first Mother's Day observance, a modest event in a local church in Grafton, West Virginia.
Anna's efforts gained momentum, and by 1914, Mother's Day became a national holiday in the United States, officially recognized by President Woodrow Wilson.
What went wrong?
Companies began to profit off the holiday.
Anna saw this as a betrayal of the original idea of celebrating mothers.
She spent the latter years of her life fighting against the commercial exploitation of Mother's Day, advocating for its removal from the calendar.
Despite her efforts, the commercial aspects of the holiday persisted, but Anna's legacy endures as a reminder of the true spirit of gratitude and appreciation for mothers everywhere.
II. The Fight Against Mother’s Day
Anna Jarvis fought against the commercialization of Mother's Day by actively campaigning against the use of the holiday for profit.
The local florist used it for profit.
The candy shops used it for profit.
The greeting card companies used it for profit.
Mother’s Day became a day of “impractical gift giving” in Anna’s eyes.
She wrote letters to newspapers and business leaders, urging them to stop exploiting the day for commercial gain.
Anna organized boycotts and protests against companies that she felt were profiting excessively from Mother's Day merchandise.
Her efforts included initiating lawsuits against companies and even lobbying the government to remove Mother's Day from the national calendar.
In one story, Anna Jarvis crashed a gathering for “American War Mothers” as the group used Mother’s Day to fundraise money.
Local police arrested Anna for disturbing the peace.
Despite her tireless advocacy, Anna's campaign was unsuccessful in the commercialization of Mother's Day, but her legacy remains as a reminder of the original intent behind the holiday.
Anna died on 1948 with no children and in poverty after a life of campaigning against Mother’s Day.
Her medical bills were paid for by greeting card companies.
III. What We Can Learn From Jarvis’ Life
We can learn a few things from Anna’s life:
Morals over money
Fight against what you created
Know when to walk away
Anna knew what she believed in.
She didn’t want the holiday she created to become what it is today.
A holiday of profit for the companies looking to cash in on Mother’s Day, but rather a sentimental holiday for Mom.
At any point in her story, Anna could have cashed in.
She chose her values and fought against what others made of her invention.
Anna fought the uphill battle for years, spending her life savings to have the day removed off calendars. She fought against what she created.
It’s okay to turn around on your ideas if it doesn’t work.
She stood firm in her values.
Or had it become a sense of pride?
She could have lived out the rest of her days in peace and she chose war.
Have a great week,
Jordan