My last few blog posts have been a little combative. Thankfully, this post will break that streak.
I decided to dedicate this post to my experience at a recent “Bayou Mama Bears” event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I truly had a wonderful time at this event, and I encourage my readers in South Louisiana to get involved with this growing movement.
Before I talk about the event itself, let me explain what the “Bayou Mama Bears” are.
Who are the “Bayou Mama Bears”?
The Urban Dictionary defines a Mama Bears as “a mom who can be cuddly and lovable but also has a ferocious side when it’s necessary to protect her cubs.”
Jokes aside, you don’t mess with a mother’s children. For the last two years, the political and educational leaders of Louisiana have failed the children of my home state.
Thankfully, a group of “Mama Bears” had enough and have taken action into their own hands to fix things.
The “Bayou Mama Bears” group is an upstart, grassroots organization in South Louisiana. A team of Louisiana mothers started this organization in early 2022 to fight the onerous mask and COVID vaccine mandates for schoolchildren in South Louisiana. In fact, I was told by a Bayou Mama Bears member that group began when several school-moms in New Orleans wanted to figure out a way to end the non-sensical mask mandates for their children. Next thing you know, the group is now on the front lines of the latest iteration of America’s culture war.
The group’s overall mission is to ensure that Louisiana parents have the final say for their children’s health decisions–whether that be for masks or for the COVID-19 vaccine. Quite a noble cause indeed!
In just a few months, the Bayou Mama Bears have applied the necessary political and legal pressure to help end Louisiana’s un-scientific, baseless mandates for schoolchildren. For example, the group helped end the COVID-19 mask mandate in New Orleans by filing a lawsuit against New Orleans Mayor LaToya “the Destroya” Cantrell.
Even Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry joined the lawsuit against Mayor Cantrell. It’s so refreshing to see a Louisiana Republican actually take a stand for the good people of this state.
In a surprising move, Mayor Cantrell actually lifted NOLA’s mask mandate on Ash Wednesday (March 2nd).
What I find most interesting about Cantrell’s decision is the timing of it. Cantrell dropped the mandate just one day before she had to testify in court–for the lawsuit that the Bayou Mama Bears filed against her. I don’t think the timing here is a coincidence at all. It looks to me that the LaToya Cantrell coudln’t handle the pressure here from the Bayou Mama Bears.
Good job, Bayou Mama Bears!
Since the group’s inception in January 2022, the Bayou Mama Bears have hosted several events in the South Louisiana area. Also, the group’s membership has swelled as Louisiana mothers are standing up for their children’s future.
The Bayou Mama Bears have big plans in the future, and they have my full support in their efforts.
Now, let’s move onto talking about the Bayou Mama Bears recent event in Baton Rouge.
An Epic Event
Wait a minute, you may wonder how I discovered the Bayou Mama Bears & this event? I’m not the main demographic of this organization (i.e. as a 22 year-old guy), so my connection to the group might not make sense at first glance.
About a month ago, I saw someone post about the Bayou Mama Bears on his Instagram Story. Consequently, I checked out the Bayou Mama Bears’ Instagram to better understand the organization. Once I figured out that the organization is on the right side of the mandate debate, I gave the Bayou Mama Bears’ Instagram a follow and occasionally saw/liked their posts for the next few weeks.
Fast forward to this past week, I saw on social media that the Bayou Mama Bears hired for a charter bus to their speaking engagement in Baton Rouge (on Tuesday night). Now, this Baton Rouge event seemed like a solid opportunity for me to become more engaged with the political issues of my local community. So, I decided to take the plunge and reserve a spot for the event.
To be honest, I was on the fence about attending initially. However, I am quite glad that I ending up attending the event.
On the bus ride from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, I had some lively conversations with about a dozen dedicated NOLA members of the Bayou Mama Bears. It was quite encouraging to meet so many well-informed, caring mothers who are standing up to government coercion. There is no better feeling than to find other like-minded people when it comes to controversial topics–like mask/vax mandates.
Overall, the Bayou Mama Bears’ event in Baton Rouge was well-coordinated and well-done. The event started with a few speeches from the top leaders of the Bayou Mama Bears–Laura Rodrigue and Katie Green. They gave the audience some insight as to the organization’s purpose, history, and future. That run-down really helped a newbie like myself.
To close the formal part of the event, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry gave the event’s keynote speech. Landry pledged his support for the Bayou Mama Bears’ cause and reminded the audience to stay engaged politically. Indeed, the citizens of Louisiana can no longer stay in “hibernation” while our politicians dither. During his speech, Landry wisely stated that “if we do not stand up now, there will be no peace”. That statement pretty much sums up life in America right now.
After the speeches concluded, I conversed for a while with some more Bayou Mama Bears before the New Orleans group departed from the event. These conversations reminded me how much New Orleans feels like a small town. At the end of the day, South Louisiana has and always will be my home.
Additionally, I had the chance to talk with Louisiana AG Jeff Landry for a little bit and took a picture with him. Not many 20-something-year-olds can say they’ve personally met their state’s Attorney General. Just saying, haha.
But seriously, my interaction with Landry wouldn’t have happened if it were not for the Bayou Mama Bears graciously allowing me to come to the event.
A Thank-You & A Call-to-Action
Before I close out this post, I just wanted to thank the Bayou Mama Bears for hosting such an excellent event. Although I expected good things from the event, my expectations were definitely exceeded.
I hope this post genuinely expressed just how thankful I am for the Bayou Mama Bears. Their work has inspired myself and countless other people in Louisiana to continue “fighting the good fight” for our local communities and for our nation.
In the past two years, few people in my community have taken a stand against Mask & Vaccine Mandates. The Bayou Mama Bears took a stand when no one else did. They were tired of waiting.
They didn’t wait for the Louisiana Republican Party to save their children from mandates. They didn’t wait for the Louisiana State Legislature to do something. They didn’t wait for LaToya Cantrell to drop the mandates in New Orleans. They picked up the slack while most people sat idly by.
With that, the Bayou Mama Bears have my full endorsement and support for all their future endeavors.
In the coming weeks, the Bayou Mama Bears will look to support certain bills in the upcoming legislative session for the Louisiana State Legislature. So, I please ask that you–my loyal reader–would contact your state legislators about supporting bills that would ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates for school-aged children in Louisiana.
I highly recommend that you go support the Bayou Mama Bears in the future (if you do not already). So, I listed the two best ways to stay in touch with the group:
1. Go the Bayou Mama Bears website & subscribe to their email list
2. Follow the Bayou Mama Bears’ Instagram page: @bayoumamabears
I hope you enjoyed this post, and I wish you all the absolute best!
Victory is inevitable. We will win.
Also, here are a few pictures from the event too:
