WEST CHESTER, PA — Motherhood, caregiving and the pressures facing American families will move from the national conversation to a Chester County stage this September, when The Fund for Women and Girls invites the community to examine what makes raising a family so difficult — and what can be done about it locally.
The Fund will host No Country for Mothers on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester. The free evening will combine curated excerpts from a new Moms First documentary with an interactive community discussion focused on caregiving, economic stability, child care and the policies and cultural expectations surrounding motherhood.
Rather than receiving a conventional individual release, No Country for Mothers is being shared through community screenings intended to encourage conversation and action. The documentary uses personal stories and research to explore the challenges of caregiving in America while questioning cultural divisions that have often placed mothers into competing camps.
“The challenges facing mothers aren’t just mothers’ issues; they’re workforce issues, economic issues, and community issues,” Cheryl Brubaker, executive director of The Fund for Women and Girls, said. “This conversation is an opportunity for our community to come together, better understand those challenges, and explore how we can create lasting change.”
The West Chester program will use excerpts and findings from the documentary as a starting point for a broader community discussion led by The Fund. Attendees will examine how the issues affect women and families locally, hear about work already underway in the region and learn ways individuals, employers, nonprofits and policymakers can become involved.
Representatives from organizations serving mothers and families will also be available with information and resources.
Bringing a National Movement Home
Moms First is led by Reshma Saujani, a lawyer, activist and author of Girls Who Code and Brave, Not Perfect. Its documentary challenges the political and cultural divisions surrounding motherhood, including the familiar labels separating working and stay-at-home mothers and families across economic and political lines.
“For too long, motherhood has been used to divide us,” Saujani said. “Working moms versus stay-at-home moms, rich versus poor, red versus blue. Those labels were never real; they were designed to keep us fighting each other instead of fixing the system. This movement is about ending that lie.”
Those themes closely intersect with The Fund for Women and Girls’ work in Chester County. For 30 years, the organization has supported groups addressing the immediate needs of people facing gender discrimination while advocating for broader changes involving paid family leave, affordable child care, economic stability and other issues affecting women and families.
Event Details
- What: No Country for Mothers, featuring documentary excerpts and an interactive community conversation presented by The Fund for Women and Girls
- When: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
- Where: Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High Street, West Chester, PA
- Cost/Tickets: Free and open to the public; advance registration is required
- More Info: https://tinyurl.com/nocountryformoms
Community sponsors are supporting the program, allowing admission to remain free. The evening is designed not simply as a film screening, but as an opportunity for Chester County residents to consider how a national debate over motherhood and caregiving plays out closer to home — and what a more supportive environment for local families might look like.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.