The calendar may say Mother's Day but for me, it is something that will be honored and remembered every single day for the rest of my life. This isn't just a sentiment; it is a living history rooted in a journey that began for my daughter, Erica, and me exactly 30 years ago to this date in Brooklyn.
There is an old saying that goes, "It takes a village to raise a child." As a former single father, I spent nearly two decades under the impression that I was raising my child entirely on my own. We were navigating the hardest edges of the city, mostly while unhoused and while I was battling with a chemical dependency. But the truth I see now is that I wasn't doing it alone.
Quite naturally, the Almighty watched over us. On the ground, however, there were separate teams of single mothers who contributed and educated us about the city from day one—mostly in the heart of Brooklyn. These acts of kindness came from those who were struggling through their own storms, whether in the shelter system or the NYCHA housing projects. These women found the time, the care, and the resources to help us stay afloat, even while entangled in my addiction as they reminded me to keep my head up! I did so and now it's time to pay homage.
Their prophecy of success manifested in ways I could have never imagined back then. Long before my current musical journey, my life took a turn toward the global stage. I broke through the barriers of my past to becoming an internationally known published writer, with two major global campaigns that speak for themselves: "Mandate Future Politicians to Prioritize Homelessness" and "Homeless Voices Matter." I have also starred in, and produced, several internationally-recognized documentaries that highlighted the homeless struggle and provided a voice for the unhoused.
Those achievements served as the first proof that the "village" had raised a winner. My face went from the shadows of the shelter system to being seen by millions around the world, proving that a background of homelessness didn't define my future. But even with the global campaigns and the films and my writing accomplishments, something was still missing. I needed a way to give back to the women who saw me before the world did. That is why the most important part of this entire journey—the true heartbeat of my success—is the song I have written for them.
I am currently in the midst of a 50-year musical comeback attempt, reclaiming the career I missed out on due to the years lost to addiction and the streets. I have done so with several of my AI artists and especially my persona "Protein The Past," who leads the way with a particular song that belongs entirely to those who helped us. The tune I'm referring to is "Remembering Brooklyn," which you can find on major platforms such as Apple Music and YouTube, is my direct tribute and a national anthem dedicated specifically to the single moms of Brooklyn and other boroughs. Every note and every word is a "thank you" to the single mothers in the shelters and the projects who looked at a struggling father with a chemical dependency and saw a human being worth helping. While the world sees my success in films and campaigns, I want the world to hear this song and see them.
Eric Protein Moseley is a social impact documentary filmmaker, homeless activist and published writer. You can reach him at [email protected].
