The movement to win our Right to Breathe is blessed with leadership from many powerful mothers. We strive to honor these mothers every day - and on Mother's Day there's a special opportunity to look to their wisdom. Here's what Philly Thrive members Minister Michelle Pumphrey, .O, and Ms. Audrey have to say about motherhood and the right to breathe...

The Breath of Life: A Mother’s Tribute. Let me begin by saying that we must always thank God for giving us the breath of life! I am a mother of four, one deceased. As I carried each one of them in my body, there were things that I had to change to ensure that they would become healthy children. Being a cigarette smoker, I had to drop that habit! I did not want to play any part of affecting my children’s growth. Even now that they are grown, I still care about the right for them to breathe. Even my eight grandchildren and my three great grands. I came to the conclusion many years ago that a mother’s work is never done. I am a firm believer of that! So as a woman and a mother of Philly Thrive I will continue to be the mother who will fight for my children, grands and great grands - and for everyone else’s children - to have the right to breathe because it does take a village! - Minister Michelle Pumphrey

It is from our Mother’s Womb that we are GIVEN THE COLLECTIVE BIRTH RIGHT TO BREATHE... Without mom’s womb breathing doesn’t happen!!! The dominating culture that abuses women is the same system that is instrumental in abusing our Mother Earth where all life is derived from... When we abuse Women and her offspring we abuse Mother Earth and when we abuse Mother Earth we abuse Women, for the 2 that become the many, are but One... When we begin to remember the technology of the transformational power of Love which created us when we were in the womb of our mother, then we can bring “THAT” transformative Love out into our everyday relationships on earth and to the earth. We do this by reclaiming each other, by remembering each other as Breathing Miracles. - .O

I’m a leader in the Right to Breathe movement because I’ve seen what this neighborhood has done to people’s health. My son was always a healthy boy. He had jumped over a car once, and he was a runner - he loved to run. He was an athlete all the way around because him and his friend used to be out here playing football, he loved basketball. And when he got the job he’d get up at 4 o'clock in the morning and when he comes up he was tired but he still was so vibrant. Active. And when he got diagnosed with cancer that was it. That was it in all of our lives. Because my mother died from cancer, my grandmother too. That was devastating. Me and my sister was in there when the doctor examined my mother and we wanted to know the result. When that doctor said cancer it was like he slapped me in the face. My son was balled up the other night because of how much pain he’s in. I went over there to rub his back. When you have kids you want the best for them. And this pollution is killing them. - Ms. Audrey