May always brings mothers to mind. And in 2001, it brought forward a particular group of mothers—the Mothers of the Disappeared in Chile and Argentina.

These incredibly brave women took to the streets in Chile and the plazas in Buenos Aires in the late 1970’s and early 80’s wearing photographs of their children and loved ones who had been disappeared at the hands of the military dictatorships then in power. They protested by dancing the Chilean national cueca, traditionally a couple’s dance, in the streets alone; by making patchwork tapestries called arpilleras and replacing the traditional Chilean landscapes with protest images depicting what was going on, often using material from clothes of those disappeared; and by marching in the central Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires wearing scarves of their loved ones with their names and dates of their disappearance. These courageous women were dismissed and denied a political voice in their own countries, but they were not deterred.

They spoke out at the risk of their lives, and they made the world aware of what was happening. My husband Blu and I traveled to Chile and Argentina to meet these mothers 20 years later, to hear their stories and bring them home for our audiences to become aware and understand what the threat of military dictatorships and fascism means—to ensure that nunca más—never again to be repeated.

This was all brought to my attention through the poetry of Margorie Agosín, an internationally known poet, novelist, and human rights activist, when I attended her reading at Trinity College those many years ago. (We have since collaborated on three pieces.)

The Mothers’ voices and their stories are indelibly printed in my memory and hopefully in those who attended ¿dónde estás? in 2001 and 2002 and since. A mother’s drive to fight for her offspring and loved ones against all odds and without relenting cannot be underestimated. Nor can the power of a woman’s voice to change what is unacceptable in a country whose freedoms are threatened to disappear.

Who could imagine that this would become so relevant in our country today? So, in May, may we remember the Mothers: may they be our inspiration at a time of great ferment. Through art and the vote may we follow their lead.