I was just 22 months old when Peter was born, so I’ve never known a life without him in it.
And this past year, Peter turned 51. He works five days a week. He loves music—any kind you put on. He dances, he swims, he roots for Boston sports teams…and he is deeply, fully loved.

But the truth is—his life didn’t happen by accident.

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It happened because my parents—and so many parents like them—refused to accept a world that said their children didn’t belong.

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In the 1970s and 80s, my mom, Maria, and a group of local mothers formed what became known as the South Shore Mothers Group. The five women in our film: Taffy, Maria, Wilma, Karen, and Norma were not activists in the way we think of activists today.

They were moms. But they pushed for change. They created solutions. They organized. They fought. They showed up—for their children and for each other.

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In their homes,  they pushed to understand children with differences that were not yet understood, and to guide their children so they would thrive and become as independent as possible. In their communities, they pushed for education, for understanding, for dignity, for the simple and radical idea that their children deserved to be seen, known, and included.

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And they changed lives. Not just for their own children—but for many other families in their community…and had impact that rippled to others across the country.

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Making this film is a way of honoring the deeply under-valued and

under-explored role of mothers in our society. 

Of saying: your story matters.

Your work mattered.

And it’s not finished.

Because even now…There are still families who feel isolated.

Still systems that fall short.
Still messages—sometimes subtle, sometimes not—that certain lives are less valued.

The film invites us to meet these families and perhaps see who is among us is not being seen in their wholeness—and choose to honor their dignity.

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It asks us:
Whom are we welcoming?
Whom are we making space for?
Whom might we be overlooking?

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My parents made space.

The mothers in our film made space.

The families and the people who worked with our disabled siblings created a kind of belonging that didn’t exist before.

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And I believe that is deeply aligned with what faith, of any kind, in any form, calls us to do - 

To see one another fully. To lift one another up. To build communities where no one is left on the margins.

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My faith is in storytelling.

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Because right now, more than ever, the world is loud—crowded with noise, division, and a constant stream of images fighting for our attention every second of the day. It’s overwhelming. And so much of it just washes over us.

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But a real story… a true story… can still break through.

It can slow us down.
It can open our hearts.
It can help us see each other again.

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70%  of people say a documentary has changed their perspective on an issue. 

That’s not just a statistic—that’s transformation.

That’s empathy being built, one story at a time.

That’s why I believe in this work.

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Because when we tell stories that are honest and human, they don’t just inform us—they change us.

Raising Us is not just a documentary.

Experiencing these stories is an invitation. An invitation to listen. To understand. To connect.
And maybe—to act.

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There are over 12 million children with disabilities in this country, and tens of millions of parents raising them.

These are not distant stories. They are happening in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our communities—right now.

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So today, I want to invite you into this work. Please watch our 10 minute clip and share about it, our vision and the impact we hope to have.

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If this story resonates with you—
I would love for you to share it, to talk about it.

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And, there is also an opportunity to support the film in a very real and direct way—
to help us make the most impact by bringing it to the communities who need it most,
to spark conversations, and to remind families that they are not alone.

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Because at its core, this is about something very simple…

The belief that every person is worthy of love. Of dignity. Of belonging.

That is what my parents believed when they brought Peter home.
That is what those mothers fought for.
And that is the main message RAISING US hopes to carry forward.

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- Jen