Editor’s Note: This tribute to Joe’s mama was supposed to run on Sunday, but did not publish due to a technical issue. We are running it today because Joe’s mama deserves.
It’s been a week, y’all. The Iran war has no end in sight, prices keep going up, and the Supreme Court hard-launched Jim Crow 2.0. Yet, in the midst of all this insanity, I still can’t help but acknowledge that I’m a very lucky man, and that’s for one simple reason: I have the best mom in the world. So, for Mother’s Day, I figure I’d tell you why that is.
My entire work ethic comes from watching my absolutely bust her ass throughout my whole childhood. When I was three years old, my mom did something incredibly brave by leaving my abusive father and striking out on her own. She knew she wanted a better life for me than the one she had growing up. She worked three jobs and put herself through college. After finishing undergrad, she immediately got into law school and studied to become a lawyer.
A large chunk of my childhood was spent watching my mom do exactly what she said she was going to. As a kiddo, it’s just mom being mom. As I got older, I was able to truly grasp how remarkable my mom’s story is. Seeing this woman somehow balancing working, studying, and doing a fantastic job taking care of me and ensuring I could engage in my passions is crazy. I can never truly express how grateful I am to her for the truly miraculous life she built for us.
If you enjoy any of the more political writing I do here, you have her to thank for my perspective. The first R-rated movies I was allowed to watch were Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X when I was 13-years-old. It was then followed by an explanation of how the American government systemically disenfranchises Black folks and how the police are not my friends.
So yeah, I really didn’t have a chance to turn out any other way.
When I told my parents I wanted to go to film school, my dad immediately tried to convince me to do a bunch of things I had zero interest in and probably would’ve sucked at. My mom supported me, but it wasn’t blindly. I distinctly remember her telling me that I was choosing a very hard path for myself and that she would support me as long as I consistently worked hard and proved that I took the work seriously.
That support was essential in giving me the confidence to bet on my abilities as a writer. It’s why I’m here, writing something that you are reading (thanks for that, by the way! Your viewership is always appreciated.)
While I’ve long known I’ve had the best mom in the game, it was really driven home for me in the last few years. My 20s were spent moving, shaking, and consistently making my goals a reality. I became a professional journalist and parlayed that into a brief yet fun career as a writer/producer for a couple of short-lived TV shows. In late 2022, I found out I lost my job via tweet (wouldn’t recommend!) It didn’t help that the layoff would be the first of many in the media sector, with the following years seeing a dramatic contraction in film, TV, and digital media.
In addition to being unemployed for literally the first time since I was 16, 2023 would kick my heart in the ass in so many different ways. My grandfather died early in the year, my relationship with my father would crumble in a rather traumatic fashion, and one of my aunts, who helped raise me, died later in the year. Not only that, I had to move back home due to the aforementioned inability to find steady work.
I was truly at my lowest, but it could’ve been so much worse if I didn’t have the best mom in the game. Every time I was plagued with self-doubt, she lifted my spirits and reminded me who I am. Anytime I needed some help, she was there. Even when I didn’t believe in myself, she did, and I can’t tell you how much that got me through some dark days. Thanks to her support (and that of the best work mom in the game, Monique Judge), I was able to dust myself off and try again.
I’ve become more familiar with grief than I would’ve liked to over the last couple of years. If there’s any beauty to be found in that pain, it’s that I’ve become more intentional about letting the people I care about know how much I love and appreciate them. There will be a day when I can’t just call my mom to talk about nothing in particular, and I dread it, but I try my best to let her know all the time how much I appreciate everything she’s done for me.
So, if you’re like me and blessed to have an incredible mom still in your life, be sure to honor them not just today, but every day. Tell them you love them, answer their phone calls, watch the Instagram reels they send you, and if you’re able to, try to spend some time with them when possible. Also, for the men, don’t be a misogynist! You were raised by a Black woman, so you damn well better respect them. It’s really not that hard, I’m telling you.
One of the biggest blessings in my life is that God gave me my mom, and that’s something I’m always going to be grateful for. So thanks, Mom. I love you to pieces.
SEE ALSO:
Mother’s Day: What To Watch With Mom
Happy Mother’s Day: 13 Black Momagers Who Helped Launch The Careers Of Countless Stars [Gallery]
