As America Marks 250 Years, Moms First Launches “The Motherhood Lectures” to Tell the Hidden History of Motherhood in America and Challenge Persistent Myths
Series launches as Moms First mobilizes thousands of moms nationwide ahead of June 2025 documentary release and American Motherhood Tour
New York, NY — As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Moms First debuts “The Motherhood Lectures,” a new online series that examines the history of motherhood in America and the myth-making, division, and distraction that has characterized the treatment of American mothers since the nation’s founding.
The online series debuts as American motherhood is at an inflection point. Last year, nearly 500,000 women left the workforce, the greatest exodus of women since the pandemic. Women – and mostly, moms of young kids – are being pushed out of the labor market by both the skyrocketing cost of child care and a cultural narrative that tells mothers their issues are personal and that their choices are to become a “girl boss” or a “trad wife”. The lack of structural support and false choices are designed to keep women and mothers divided and distracted.
Filmed in front of a live audience at NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, the series traces flashpoints in American history where moms were excluded from power and intentionally divided, from the founding of the country in 1787 to the rise of the “bad mother” in the mid-20th century and today. Through a series of historical vignettes, Reshma reveals how for 250 years American motherhood has been mythologized, moralized, and monetized.
“For 250 years moms in America have been conned into believing their struggle is theirs alone,” said Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First. “We’re not taught the history of motherhood, and that’s on purpose. You won’t find a section in a textbook about how moms have been strategically exhausted, isolated, and divided. That’s what I’m unveiling: American motherhood was never set up to work. This isn’t a personal failure. This is policy by design.”
For the past three years, Moms First has focused its national media and mobilization efforts on reshaping how America values motherhood. “The Motherhood Lectures” continues that effort, equipping moms with the historical and political context to understand that the challenges they face are not individual shortcomings, but a con that has gone on for centuries.
The series also marks the newest expansion of Moms First’s growing national impact campaign tied to its June 2025 premiere of a documentary about motherhood.
Momentum is building nationwide:
- Moms First has recruited thousands of moms as Associate Producers and hundreds have signed up to host watch parties across the country.
- The organization will launch the American Motherhood Tour, beginning with a flagship event in New York City, followed by stops in Minneapolis, Chicago, and San Francisco
- The series premiere follows TIME naming Reshma Saujani one of its 2026 Women of the Year, recognizing her work as a movement builder tearing down barriers that stand in the way of women’s progress.
The first episode of “The Motherhood Lectures” is now available across Moms First’s social platforms, including Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.
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Moms First is fighting for America’s moms. Our mission is to win paid leave and child care as economic imperatives that allow families to thrive. Our vision is a country that values motherhood and supports moms and families.
Learn more at momsfirst.us.