Chamber of Mothers is Cracking the Code on Parent Advocacy
Parents, assemble!
A question I am fairly obsessed with is how we generate the political will needed for major family policy changes. I’ve written before that family policy issues like child care and paid leave are ‘high popularity, low salience’—meaning that they generate stratospheric polling support but determine almost no one’s actual voting behavior. As a result, politicians feel vanishingly little consequence for either backing, or not backing, a given family policy. Which is why I was so excited when I first learned about Chamber of Mothers, a nonprofit group designed to build solidarity among parents, help them understand that their private challenges are actually public policy choices, and organize them for unified action. They are, in short, a salience bridge. So excited, in fact, that I readily agreed when I was asked to join their Board of Directors. (I might not be a mother, but I take parental solidarity seriously!) I want you to know about this group, too, so I called up two of the co-founders, Erin Erenberg and Raena Boston, for an interview. Enjoy!
Note: the transcript has been lightly edited and formatted for clarity
Elliot Haspel: Can you tell us, please, the origin story of Chamber of Mothers?
Raena Boston: In 2021, as Build Back Better was being debated, a lot of us were incredibly excited. It finally felt like paid leave was going to become a reality in this country, along with other progressive measures. And then, we watched it evaporate right before our eyes. This all happened in the midst of the pandemic—while we were still very much living through it.
Women had just spent months holding this country together—quitting jobs, homeschooling, working, doing all of the above at once. To finally be on the verge of securing paid leave was such a hopeful moment. And then, to have it yanked away was devastating. A lot of us were just angry.
I started noticing moms online—many with large followings—saying, "We don’t know what this is yet, but it’s some kind of action. Is it a strike? A union? A movement?" They weren’t sure what form it would take, but they knew something needed to happen.
For me personally, I knew whatever it was, I wanted to be involved. I was home on leave after having my third child in October 2021—the first child I ever had paid leave for. I often say that experience radicalized me. I knew firsthand how different it felt compared to the lack of leave I had with my first two children.
With my third, I had time. I had space. I didn’t experience postpartum mood disorders. It was a beautiful experience. And I remember thinking, "This is how it should be for every parent." I was so excited that paid leave was about to become reality. And then it wasn’t.
Like so many moms, I got angry. I joined this collective action. And that collective action eventually became the Chamber of Mothers.
Erin Erenberg: I think that covers it. The only thing I would add from my perspective is there was a moment where we realized that there are around 85 million moms in this country and that we have between 11 and 15 trillion in annual spending power, and we control over 85% of household spending decisions. And meanwhile, things like paid leave, accessible and affordable childcare, and gun safety are either pushed forward or blocked by huge lobby groups. And we said, where is the group for us? We have all this spending power. We have all this potential voting power.
Why are we not pooling our resources? And why are we not using those resources to demand what we need? Raena is right to frame it within the pandemic because the other thing happening at that time was people were saying, "I don't want to live here anymore. I don't want to be here. I can't raise my kids here.” People were thinking about alternatives to the United States. And so we said, what if we were to unite? What if we were to unite mothers as advocates to create the country they want to live in and that they want to bestow upon future generations?
That was the first mission statement. It's been shortened to uniting mothers as advocates to create a better America. But this notion of really co-creating a country, an environment, a culture that is for us—where it's easier to mother, to care, and to contribute outside the home as well—that should be within our grasp. In a country that is as well resourced as the United States, the priorities should be different.
I believe that we will come together, unify, and demand the country that we need. I think we have some hurdles, but that's the shared vision: unite to fight. We chose to anchor our advocacy in pillars that over 76% of Americans agree on: we should have paid family and medical leave, affordable childcare, and improved maternal health outcomes, both mental and physical.
Right now, Black moms are dying at four times the rate of other mothers, and almost all maternal deaths are preventable. That should be seen as a national emergency. All three of our pillars really fit within improved maternal health. We're at a very baseline here of just surviving motherhood and then being able to thrive and contribute to the world around us. But we want to create a country where mothers are truly proud to live, where they feel that there is ease around contributing to the world around them and caring for themselves and the people they love.
Elliot Haspel: Thank you. That’s beautiful. I’m glad to be involved.
Let me ask you— you’ve touched on this a bit already, but one thing I think about a lot is why aren’t parents in the streets over these issues? Traditionally, we haven’t seen mass mobilization from parents, despite the enormous challenges they face.
There’s a joke a comedian once made: If you showed someone footage of January 6 with no context and they had never heard of what happened at the Capitol, they would assume “oh, this is the parents about the daycare thing!”—because that’s how urgent and widespread the crisis feels.
So why is that? Given the sheer scale of these struggles, why haven’t parents been activated en masse? And how do you think Chamber of Mothers’ theory of change is addressing those barriers?
Raena Boston: I can start. I think parents are exhausted.
Erin Erenberg: Thank you. I was going to say the same thing.
Raena Boston: Parents are exhausted. I think about how sometimes we just need a list—we need organizing principles, we need an action plan. One of the things that makes Chamber of Mothers unique is that it provides that structure. It gives parents a clear set of steps: Here are your people. Here’s who to call. Here’s who to connect with. Federal change can be painfully slow—like a gopher tortoise—but you can make change in your own backyard.
It’s about quick, clear, and cohesive actions. Parents aren’t just exhausted; we’re also forgotten and discounted. I don’t think we’re taken seriously. I don’t think child care or paid leave are talked about as kitchen table issues, even though they absolutely are.
Erin Erenberg: I agree, and I’d add that unifying is far harder than it should be. Finding common ground—where we all agree—should be simple, yet we live in a system that teaches scarcity. Resources are held mostly by white men, and success has often been framed as divide and conquer. So when we push for unity, it actually becomes a radical act.
That’s one of the reasons we have local chapters. Our advocacy operates in three ways at the same time:
Federal Advocacy – We don’t just go to D.C. once for a single lobby day. We go repeatedly, deepening relationships with bipartisan, bicameral members of Congress, federal agencies, and the administration to reinforce what we need.
Shifting the Narrative – We create content and campaigns that help moms see themselves as agents of change—seeing their own power and capability, which builds their political will.
Local Chapters – This is grassroots organizing, where real transformation happens face-to-face and virtually.
I want to highlight why local chapters matter so much. Unifying is easiest when you're in a room together. It’s easy to argue with people through Instagram comments. It’s easy to create division when you’re behind a screen. But when you’re in a room with 20 other moms, and you start by simply asking, "How’s it going? What’s working for you? What’s challenging?", you find common ground.
From "Can we agree a mom should survive childbirth?" to "Can we agree it feels harder than it should to be a mom in America?", we can build from these points of unity.
Even within motherhood, our culture has taught us to divide over things that should not divide us—breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, attachment parenting vs. sleep training. Before I became a parent, I never gave a second thought to these issues. But suddenly, I had a baby, and I was thrown into a world where everyone was picking sides.
As our cofounder Lauren Smith Brody points out, these are false divides, and we are steeped in them. True unity requires listening, empathy, and putting defensiveness aside. In this climate of chaos and distrust, we have to lean into those qualities to truly come together, learn from one another, and find the common ground that has always been there.
Elliot Haspel: That’s great and really helpful.
Which actually leads me to my next question—obviously, we’ve now entered a new era with the current administration, and over the past few weeks, we’ve started to see how they’re going to operate.
Does any of that affect how Chamber of Mothers is thinking about its strategy? Has it changed how you approach advocacy in this environment? More broadly, how do you think about operating in such a chaotic and unpredictable landscape?
Erin Erenberg: Right now, what this moment is calling for, first and foremost, is stability—both in leadership and in action.
There is chaos coming from our [federal] leadership, with distressing news breaking not just daily but sometimes hourly. As leaders, we have to remain stable and focused on our core pillars, ensuring we are responsive without becoming reactive.
At the same time, we won’t ignore the distress, anxiety, fear, and anger this environment creates. We have to acknowledge those emotions and work through them while continuing our advocacy.
A clear example of this was our recent trip to D.C. We were set to go on a Tuesday, and just four days before our trip, the news broke about the federal hiring freeze—which was then “rescinded”. Mothers in our community were deeply impacted. And on top of that, we were also seeing executive orders eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs—which many people may not realize also affects work-from-home policies, caregiving resources, and other critical support systems.
In response, we reached out to our community and said: Tell us how this is impacting you. Not just in practical terms—like jobs and benefits—but also how it was affecting their mental health, their children, and their overall well-being.
We collected those stories, organized them into a spreadsheet, sorted them by theme and constituency, and took them to D.C. These themes emerged clearly:
Moms are worried about basic human dignity—healthcare for themselves, their parents, and their children.
Parents of children with special needs are worried about losing essential services.
Families are deeply concerned about childcare.
Families are afraid to lose WIC, Head Start, Medicaid, and access to affordable medication and, in some cases, medication full stop.
Many are fearful about job security—both their own and their partners'.
One particularly powerful story came from a woman in our South Carolina chapter. She had moved there from New York City during the pandemic to be with her father in his final days. A single mom and a successful derivatives attorney, she was able to keep her job remotely, establish a local business, and serve on three local boards—she was thriving.
But as soon as the executive orders were announced, her private employer told her, "We’re going to be following suit. Just a heads-up." Even though the federal freeze was rescinded, the damage was already done—corporate policies were already shifting in response. Time will tell where she lands, but her sense of financial security and security within her community was rocked.
This is the larger impact that’s often overlooked. Even when something is reversed, the cultural shift it causes remains. And these were the real-life stories we took directly to lawmakers.
During our trip, we met with eight congressional offices—both Republican and Democrat. In every single office, we were told: "This is the most effective thing you can do. These personal stories will be used in our speeches and will anchor our discussions."
Because at the end of the day, these issues impact both families and the economy. Even if you don’t view them through a so-called "progressive lens," the reality is that a stable economy cannot function if:
Parents can’t work because they lack childcare.
Families are financially insecure due to job instability.
Kids, parents, and the aging aren’t receiving the education and healthcare they need.
Without these fundamental supports, the entire system crumbles—and that’s the reality our community is fighting to change.
Elliot Haspel: So my last question—and it’s the best one, naturally—how can people get involved?
Raena Boston: The number one thing is to get on our email list—that’s the best way to stay updated on what we have going on. Instagram is also a great place to follow us, but our website has all the details, including a list of open chapters looking for new members and volunteers. If you want to contribute your time and talents, that’s a great place to start.
What would you add, Erin?
Erin Erenberg: I completely agree. This year, we’re not just working toward having chapters in all 50 states—we’re also making it easier to get involved by adding a virtual component.
As Raena said, why aren’t we advocating more? Why aren’t we in the streets every minute? Because we’re exhausted. Parents don’t have time. That’s why we’re bringing advocacy opportunities directly to you—so that engagement is more accessible.
The best way to stay engaged is to join our email list—that’s where we share opportunities for involvement. But beyond advocacy, we’re also sending out content that supports mental health and stability. Because in times like these, it’s just as important to know when to fight, how to stay focused, and when to take a step back to care for yourself and your family.
Elliot Haspel: Thank you both—I really appreciate your time, and I really appreciate the work you’re doing every day!