GEMS Seeks Mothers and Daughters for ‘This is To Mother You Music’ Video
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: muhammida@gems-girls.org 718.496.2305
GEMS Seeks Mothers and Daughters for ‘This is To Mother You Music’ Video
Mary J. Blige and Sinead O’Connor’s Mother’s Day Anthem
April 19, 2010, New York, NY,— This Mother’s Day, GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services), the nation’s largest non-profit organization designed to serve and empower American girls and young women, ages 12-21, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking, is celebrating the beauty and worth of all women and girls and inviting supporters to submit a favorite photo of themselves with a mother, daughter, or other amazing, influential females in their life for a chance to be included in the “This is To Mother You” music video. The music video, like the song, recorded by Sinead O’Connor and Mary J. Blige, will be used as a tool to spread awareness and honor the many individuals who help in the fight against commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of girls. The deadline for photo submissions is April 24 at http://gemsgirls.shutterfly.com.
“This is To Mother You” was recorded last summer when iconic musicians Mary J. Blige and Sinead O’Connor collaborated on the O’Connor penned tune to bring awareness to the issue of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of American girls. Martha B., a GEMS member and survivor is featured on the track, giving a voice to the estimated 300,000 American youth who are annually at-risk for commercial sexual exploitation.
“This song is so true to how GEMS and Rachel (GEMS founder) has impacted my life. They have truly been a mother to me,” says Martha B. who is also featured in another powerful GEMS outreach tool, the critically acclaimed Showtime documentary, “Very Young Girls.”
“This is To Mother You” expresses a simple promise to vulnerable children in America and around the world: You may not see us, but we see you. And we will love and care for you.
“When I read the lyrics to ‘This is to Mother You’ I really fell in love with the song,” says Blige, who like most Americans was unaware of the prevalence of child sex trafficking stateside until her introduction to GEMS. “It describes how I feel about my work and how so many fans view me – as a mentor and a mother figure. It has always been my dream to be able to encourage women and let them know that if I can make it, they can make it too despite any physical and emotional abuses they may endure.”
“There’s so much in this song that speaks to the way we feel about the young women and girls we serve at GEMS especially in terms of being protective and supportive towards them,” Rachel Lloyd, Founder and Executive Director of GEMS and one of Ms. Magazine’s “50 Women Who Change the World.” “It is also speaks to the way we feel they should be treated by society in general. They should be protected and not sold.”
The updated version of “This Is to Mother You” was produced by Martin Doc’ McKinney (Sting, Esthero, Santigold) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest, Lucy Pearl). The song is available for purchase at www.gems-girls.org and major online retailers. The supporter-generated music video and song will be released in May and made available as a Mother’s Day video e-card.
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Monday, April 19th, 2010, 12:26 pm
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