Maternal instincts

>> Montreal expat Kelly Hargreaves takes a role in the Million Mom March
by MATTHEW HAYS

For Kelly Hargreaves, simply growing up in Canada led to her current role as activist. The film publicist, who now resides in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter, says she became horrified by the extent of firearm-related violence when she moved to the U.S. close to a decade ago.

But for Hargreaves, a turning point came when she gave birth to her daughter, Keaton, now six. "As a parent, my job is to feed her, clothe her and be a part of the culture she's growing up in." Soon after giving birth to Keaton, Hargreaves said she felt ill as she watched the headlines on CNN. "I lay in bed and saw all the news about the Oklahoma City bombing. It struck me that by choosing to raise my child in America rather than Canada, I was putting her at greater risk."

Hargreaves says that while scanning the TV dial to find an episode of Arthur a few months ago, she stopped on Good Morning America where a segment caught her eye. The piece featured an interview with Donna Dees-Thomases, the founder and main organizer of the Million Mom March (MMM), a planned protest in Washington, D.C. for Mother's Day. The point would be to let congress know that mothers of all backgrounds are furious that America lacks substantive gun-control legislation. Dees-Thomases was moved to action last August, after watching the news footage of children being led out of a Jewish daycare centre in California after a lone gunman began shooting. "I felt ashamed," Dees-Thomases writes in her protest statement. "Ashamed because I've sat back while others battle the gun lobby to protect our children."

"I knew I had to get involved," says Hargreaves, who logged on to their Web site (www.millionmommarch.com) and got involved, signing up to be the coordinator for the Brooklyn chapter of the group.

Organizers of the MMM have tried to maintain a non-partisan stance, but critics have charged the protest is merely an exercise of the Democratic Party (a counter-protest, designed by women members of the NRA, titled "Moms for Guns," will coincide). But MMM protesters counter they've worked to remain inclusive, reaching out to concerned citizens and activists everywhere, while also welcoming fathers and brothers as well as mothers into the event. "Obviously, many of the people marching have been touched by gun violence," says Hargreaves, who completed her degree in dance at Concordia. "But we also wanted to move beyond victimhood. This is also a march for those people who don't ever want to be touched by gun violence."

Hargreaves says she can understand the sentiments of many Canadians who view Americans as insane for not insisting on some semblance of gun-control legislation. But she points out that Americans want gun control too. "Polls have consistently shown 80 per cent of Americans want stronger gun laws," she says. "Those congressmen and senators are really afraid of the NRA. I hope we show them that we're to be reckoned with too." :



The Million Mom March takes place this Sunday, Mother's Day, May 14 in Washington, D.C.

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