The Boston City Council voted on Wednesday, July 11, to adopt a resolution endorsing a Parents’ Bill of Rights, which was created by the Somerville-based nonprofit Parenting Journey. The Council also presented a citation to the nonprofit’s Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries. Both the resolution and citation were sponsored by Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley as part of her continued efforts to highlight the issues affecting people of color, immigrants, and people living in high-poverty areas.

The Parents’ Bill of Rights was developed by Parenting Journey’s Parent Advisory Council, which is comprised of parents and caregivers who participated in at least one Parenting Journey program. The group of family advocates created the Parents’ Bill of Rights in response to systemic barriers they have all experienced, and disproportionately impact communities of color, low-income families, and immigrants.

“We’re proud to create the space for parents to develop as social change leaders and advocate for themselves and their communities. We appreciate Councilor Pressley’s invitation to address the City Council because it is an opportunity to shed light on the harsh realities families in Greater Boston, and all across our nation, are facing,” said Paris Jeffries. “Half of the children in America live in poverty — that is unacceptable, and families deserve better. At Parenting Journey we envision a world where all families thrive, but in order to realize this goal, we need to start by acknowledging the systems that create inequity, and supporting policies that seek to create opportunity for all of us.”

The Parents’ Bill of Rights is a platform to develop policies that create a more equitable society in which all families thrive and to ensure that basic rights are inherently embedded within our communities. It states that “all parents and caregivers deserve to raise their children in vibrant communities, deserve the ability to support their families, and deserve to raise their children with the culture and values that reflect their diversity.”

“The best policies to stabilize and support our families are community driven and government endorsed,” said Councilor Ayanna Pressley. “Our role in government is to offer our hand in partnership for organizations like Parenting Journey who are bringing stakeholders together to uplift one another. I am humbled to invite Parenting Journey to the Boston City Council to endorse their hard work and to recognize their tireless leader, Imari Paris Jefferies.”

Former Boston City Councilor and Parenting Journey Social and Family Justice Fellow Tito Jackson collaborated with the Parent Advisory Council to create the Parents’ Bill of Rights during his three-month fellowship. The Parents’ Bill of Rights will guide and inform the organization’s advocacy efforts to seek greater opportunities for all families. Parenting Journey is working to spread these values, so one day they will be nationally-recognized principles for all parents.

The Parent Advisory Council will continue to lead efforts among parents and supporters to fight for policies that tear down systems of oppression, including paid family and medical leave, and raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The Parents’ Bill of Rights can be found and endorsed at https://parentingjourney.org/pbor/.

ABOUT PARENTING JOURNEY

Parenting Journey’s work is inspired by the belief that strong families are the foundation of vibrant healthy communities and the catalyst to ignite social change. The organization is dedicated to providing programs that uplift parents and caregivers and strengthen families and communities, advocating for equitable family policies, and disrupting the social narrative around parenting in poverty.

Parenting Journey envisions a world where all parents and caregivers have access to the resources they need to build resilient families and thrive, no matter their race or socioeconomic background.

For more information, visit www.parentingjourney.org.