In the run up to Mother's Day in America, I am posting an opinion piece by Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, winner of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights award, a Ms Magazine Woman of the Year, listed by Ladies Home Journal as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in America, and mother of eleven children.

With Mothers' Day originating in the activism of American mothers, and primary election season soon here, it's time we address that large majority of American mothers who are concerned about what's happening to America and the planet, but who feel too overwhelmed, or too afraid of "shortchanging" their kids' needs, or too unable to afford childcare to get involved in activism. I ask these mothers, "how can you afford today not to get involved?"

The situation today for children and mothers in America is urgent. Asthma and autism rates in some places are up 400 percent from 20 years ago; one of every six American moms now have unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies; 200 species become extinct every day; our water, food, and air are now becoming more neurotoxic and carcinogenic instead of less for the first time since 1968; and more children fall into poverty and homelessness each year than ever since the great depression. Our children's future is bleak unless far more of us act and now. Now more than ever is the time to get involved and get our children involved with us, and not just for their health and ours: Getting our kids involved with us in political action develops their most important qualities -- their conscience and confidence in their own power to do good.

I remember once when I had my 6-year-old, Angela, the one who's a registered nurse now, with me on a picket line at the Safeway, during the grape boycott. Here's this little kid standing in front of the store, passing out leaflets, telling people, "Don't shop here, because the grapes have poison on them." She was turning away more people than the adults! In fact I would often take them out of school to do these things, because they learned more on the outside. They learned the way to become powerful was by organizing.

We mothers have to help make the world safer not only for our children, but for other people's children too. Because if all children are not safe, no child is safe. Our nation is making a disastrous mistake thinking we can have security from people: There is only security with people. Hate will always find a way around or under a "security system."

Some mothers are busy working long hours to buy things they don't really need. Why not work less, and live more simply, so others can simply live -- so you can spend more time with your kids on activism. If most mothers would only spend an hour or two a week doing activism, imagine the huge difference that would make to our nation, the planet, and our children's values.

Many mothers today spend so much time on their kids' sports activities. These mothers could instead take time off from sports to volunteer for human rights or environmental campaigns. When sports overtakes civic engagement, democracy dies.

If your child was seriously ill, you would not think twice about giving up soccer. What is the difference between that and our child's society and planet being in critical condition? The tough truth is that using sports, schedule, or income as reasons not to get involved is a failure of responsibility and imagination. You've got to figure out ways to do it. Below are just a few. (Many more are at www.DoloresHuerta.org):

1) If the campaign/organization lacks childcare, help them organize it. On- site babysitters can be recruited from colleges or other parent volunteers.

2) Even if there is no childcare, your child can come with you to meetings, phone banks, etc. You can keep very young kids occupied long enough with crayons, paper, books, and stories on CDs. Older kids can make signs, collate, etc.

3) Ask moms who aren't actively engaged if they would watch your kids while you campaign (for them). These mothers can then feel they're making a contribution. If there's ever a time to ask for help, it's now.

4) If you're a single mother, find another mother with a kid your age or older, and your kids can keep busy together.

5) Lower your homemaking standards. I always used to say that for every bed I didn't make, some poor farm worker got a $1/hour more.

There is no conflict between being a good mother and being civically engaged. As a fellow activist mom once said, "How can you be a good mother, and not be politically involved!" After safety, our most important responsibility as mothers is to develop our children's values. Indeed, I believe education's highest purpose is to teach our children how to fight injustice. And if we parents don't teach them to be activists for justice, who will? By "activist," I simply mean acting to insure your government is being used for your family's health, education, and safety, rather than to make the rich richer or to rob your tax dollars to pay for unnecessary wars based on lies, leaving the next generation in dire debt, more insecure than ever.

In other words, there are good mothers and great mothers. Great mothers are simply good mothers who, in addition, involve their kids in bringing more health and justice into the world, not only for themselves, but for all families now and for generations to come.