Daily Inspiration: Meet Jessica Stamen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Stamen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a producer, educator, and activist, I have always been passionate about using the arts and education to create cultural change and inspire political action. Though I originally moved to Los Angeles from the Boston area to pursue my Ph.D. in English, I quickly fell into the movie industry and was lucky to work as a film development executive at companies focused on telling topical, issue-driven stories. It was thrilling to work on projects with topics ranging from racism to child brides to rampant consumerism, but it sadly became increasingly hard to finance these kinds of projects, and I started to feel like I wanted to make a more direct and immediate impact. Soon after my oldest child was born, the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred, and I knew I needed to get directly involved with advocating for change in gun laws, so I joined Moms Demand Action and served as the Education Lead for Southern California. Working with Moms Demand Action helped me understand the power of grassroots activism, and specifically, the power that moms have in advocating for a better world for their kids. Around this time, I met an incredible mom named Dr. Alisa Angelone, who invited me to help her build an organization called Momtivist, committed to progressive values and family-friendly activism. We found that there were thousands of moms who felt passionately about building a better world for their kids but did not know where to start, or how to balance activism with the demands of motherhood. We started to gather for “Progress Playdates” in the Los Angeles area and built a vibrant online community nationwide of mothers who not only wanted to advocate for progress, but wanted to raise their children to become social justice warriors as well. 

Though I had left my position in the film industry, I continued to be interested in using film to create cultural-political change and was lucky to meet a talented director named Lara Everly, who was also a mom who believed strongly in the power of storytelling to inspire change. We co-wrote a short comedic video about safe gun storage, which I produced and she directed, and the video immediately went viral, striking a nerve with parents across the nation. This led to many more videos, for outlets from Netflix to the ACLU, on topics ranging from long-haul Covid to the struggles of working mothers to the importance of civic engagement and volunteering. The videos have garnered nearly 20 million views total, and more importantly, have sparked important conversations and have galvanized viewers to take action. 

Most recently, I was honored to be asked by the brilliant and inspiring activist Sarah Jakle to join her in building a new non-profit organization, DemocraShe, which inspires and empowers diverse young women to pursue future political leadership. DemocraShe brings together so many of my passions, from education to the arts to politics, as it helps young women draw on their own experiences and share their stories to advocate for change and become transformational leaders. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have three young children, and like all mothers, I constantly struggle to be present for them, while also pursuing my career and staying politically active and engaged. But this is exactly why we started Momtivist, since we wanted to carve out a space where activism was something that would bring a family together, not divide them. Also, facing the challenges of being a mom in America, from the lack of paid leave to the expenses of childcare, and seeing the even greater challenges faced by moms of color, has galvanized me to fight even harder, and is a huge reason why our work at DemocraShe is so important since the best remedy for these injustices is to elect more women, and particularly women of color, to office. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to think of myself as an “activism doula” – that is, someone who helps other people feel comfortable and confident to bring their “inner activist” out into the world. Our work at Momtivist has always been focused on making activism accessible and inviting for moms and ultimately for entire families. Similarly, the videos I write and produce use narrative, and often comedy, to help audiences understand issues, and to galvanize them to take action. And the non-profit I’m co-founding, DemocraShe takes this to the next level by training young people to not only become engaged and active citizens but to become transformational leaders who will advocate and legislate to bring about positive change in our country. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I never thought of myself as political when I was younger. To me, politics meant men in suits carrying briefcases, and though I believed in fighting for issues that were important to me, I had zero interest in the political system. It wasn’t until I was a mother, and started really understanding how decisions being made by politicians affected the life of my kids and other kids throughout the country, that I realized how critically important it was for each of us to involved in politics. I also realized how important it is for young people to see themselves represented in government, and am so deeply grateful for the incredible female leaders serving now and inspiring a whole new generation of young women. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.democrashe.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/democrasheorg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DemocraShe-110108011246367
• Other: www.momtivist.com