FIRST LADY'S DAY

First Lady’s Day would be a day to celebrate and honor all First Ladies – current, future and past -- and their tireless, dedicated, loyal, unpaid service and sacrifice for our country. I am proposing a bill that would bestow the First Lady's Presidential Medal of Honor onto the current, the past and all future First Ladies.  This award would be given by the president and from the American people.

This petition is a request to Congress and President Barack Obama to enact a bill that would create a national First Lady's Day in honor of all First Ladies – current, future and past.  The initial First Lady's Day commemoration would occur in May 2016 on the Monday during the week of Mother’s Day and would occur annually afterwards.  There are five First Ladies currently living and committed to the services and work they began during or after their husband’s presidential term(s).  These are:

First Lady Michelle Obama                                        President Barack Obama

First Lady Laura Bush                                                President George W. Bush

First Lady Hillary Clinton                                            President Bill Clinton

First Lady Barbara Bush                                            President George H. W. Bush

First Lady Nancy Reagan                                           President Ronald Reagan

First Lady Rosalynn Carter                                         President Jimmy Carter

Bipartisan:  Democrats and Republican Should Support This Bill and Our First Ladies

First Lady’s Day would celebrate and honor their lives and service and award each of them a Presidential Medal of Honor for their service.  For members of Congress and President Obama, who support women’s issues, this bill and day should be supported in a bi-partisan effort, as the services of all First Ladies have always been significantly important here in the U. S. and whenever they travel abroad – sometimes alone – representing our country. This a women’s issue in which our public servants – First Ladies -- have been overlooked and their services negated for centuries. Like many women’s roles today, the role of First Lady can often feel like a thankless job, but First Ladies have served our country faithfully beside every president in U. S. history, with the exception of James Buchanan.

Currently, I have petitioned four members of Congress who are considering supporting the bill, but have not decided.  I will be petitioning more members in the days to come. If you would like to voice your support for this bill and day in honor of all First Ladies who have served our country faithfully, please contact these members of Congress and your own member of Congress:

Representative Chris Smith (Republican – New Jersey)    (202) 225-3765

Senator Barbara Mikulski (Democrat – Maryland)              (202) 224-4654

Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat – Maryland)                       (202) 224-4524   

Representative Donna Edwards (Democrat - Maryland)     (202) 225-8699

Accomplished Women: Gave Up Great Careers and Options

Current and former First Ladies have been accomplished women in their own rights: educated, politically astute, and ambitious in their own fields of choice.  Their career options were vast and often renowned with great potential and possibilities.  But these women temporarily put aside their ambitions to give service to our country as the honored First Ladies that we have come to know, revere and love. Their tireless services have included campaigns for Americans with mental illnesses, restoration of the White House to its current glory, initiatives to encourage healthy eating and living for children, a campaign to fight drug abuse, and a campaign to support sufferers of alcoholism, among others.  The wives have taken their positions as First Ladies to heart after long, often heated, political campaigns with their husbands in his quest for the White House.  

Death:  Giving the Ultimate Sacrifice 

Although, the First Ladies have never asked for their positions, they selflessly open their lives and family to potential verbal and physical attacks, and in the case of Presidents John Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley, deadly attacks on their husbands.  Who could forget the horror First Lady Jackie Kennedy and her children endured as her husband, President Kennedy was gunned down, or the anguish First Lady Nancy Reagan and her family endured during President Reagan’s assassination attempt? These honored and admirable women have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our people, and now it’s time for the American people and Congress to recognize these great women and their service.

Working:  Mom, Wife, Campaigner, Organizer, Host, Confidante, Volunteer…

Even after the election and during the administration, the First Lady continues her dedication as she travels to foreign countries, small towns and large cities on behalf of the American people, the president and the country to present a show of solidarity and a side of our nation that other countries rarely see. She does all of these things while maintaining that sense of normalcy and stability of a typical family: scheduling meals, school, homework, family outings with friends and spiritual events.  In recent years, First Ladies have come under attack from their husband's political opponents, rivals and voters who disagree with his political positions, despite the fact that only the president possesses the power to govern.  In an effort to show support for her husbands, First Ladies often suffer these attacks based on legislation that they have not enacted or occasionally have not supported.

Their tireless and selfless service must be commended as the embodiment of the American spirit and working women in or outside the White House.  Their spirit of dedication to our American values, traditions, and history is what we should always aspire to.  For all of these reasons, our First Ladies must be recognized for their tremendous service to you and this country that we love so much. 

Please sign this petition and contact your member of Congress in support of this bill, the First Lady’s Day bill.