Southern Illinois Mothers and Community Members Gather This Mother’s Day to Demand ‘More Than Flowers’

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/11/2026
4:00 pm

Categories

vigil/demonstration

CARBONDALE, IL — On Monday, May 11, following Mother’s Day, mothers, caregivers, and community members will gather in Carbondale to demand real support for Illinois families. While politicians offer symbolic appreciation, mothers across Southern Illinois are facing rising healthcare costs, unaffordable child care, and growing food insecurity while federal lawmakers are advancing proposals that would gut the very programs families depend on.

At ‘More Than Flowers: A Mother’s Day Action’, speakers will share firsthand stories about the daily struggles facing mothers and families in Southern Illinois. Advocates will call on Illinois state legislators to pass progressive revenue proposals that fund the essential programs families need because mothers deserve more than flowers. They deserve policies that support them every day.

This event is organized by Citizen Action/Illinois in support of revenue proposals championed by the Illinois Revenue Alliance.

WHAT: More Than Flowers: Mother’s Day Action

WHEN: Monday, May 11, 2026 at 4 PM

WHERE: Town Square Pavilion, 121 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, IL 62901

“Mother’s Day is a time to honor the women who raise us — but flowers and cards aren’t enough when mothers across Illinois are struggling to keep their families afloat,” said Anusha Thotakura, Executive Director of Citizen Action/Illinois. “In Illinois, 384,000 people will lose health coverage because of the Republican cuts. Another 205,000 Illinoisans will face cuts to SNAP benefits because of the GOP’s new law. Over 60% of SNAP enrollees in Illinois are families with children. None of the Republican legislation so far has done anything to lower the cost of food, rent, utilities and out of pocket health expenses. Instead, the GOP policies are leaving Illinois moms less equipped to respond to the affordability crisis.”

Mothers across Southern Illinois are being pushed to the brink. Programs like SNAP are not luxuries, they are lifelines that mothers depend on to feed their children. Yet at the federal level, lawmakers have advanced proposals that would gut these essential supports while protecting tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. That is not honoring mothers. That is abandoning them.

Citizen Action/Illinois is calling on Illinois state legislators to pass progressive revenue proposals that fund the care our communities depend on:

Ending Offshore Tax Havens (HB5318 / SB3486): Require multinational corporations to pay taxes based on their actual economic activity in Illinois—not profits shifted overseas.
Billionaire Wealth Tax (HB5215 / SB3376): Ensure the ultra-wealthy pay taxes on massive increases in their wealth, just like working people pay taxes on their income.
Digital Advertising Tax (HB4894 / SB3353): Hold Big Tech accountable by taxing the enormous profits they generate from the data of Illinois residents.
Protecting Illinois’ Budget (HB5125 / SB3796): Close costly corporate loopholes and prevent state revenue losses tied to federal tax giveaways for the wealthy.

Illinois does not have to wait for Washington. Our state can lead by investing in the healthcare, child care, and nutrition support that mothers need, not just on Mother’s Day, but every day.

Citizen Action/Illinois is the state’s largest progressive public policy and political coalition, dedicated to advocating for healthcare access, economic justice, and consumer rights. Through grassroots organizing and coalition-building, we work to ensure policies that protect Illinois families, seniors, and communities.