A Baltimore mother videotaped dragging her son away from a riot received praise from her pastor this week.
Toya Graham was heralded as "America's Favorite Mom" after footage of her smacking and pushing her teenaged son went viral.
Her pastor, Rev. Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple, called her the "Mom of the Century."
"I wish all of the parents of Baltimore would take on her spirit and go pull your children out of the streets," he told "Inside Edition" on Wednesday.
Graham was originally afraid of what her pastor might think after the world saw her screaming and hitting her 16-year-old son, Michael.
The teen was one of many rioting in Baltimore after the funeral of Freddie Gray - a black man whose spine was nearly severed while in police custody. The 25-year-old died from his injuries on April 19.
In the aftermath of his death, rioters burned buildings, looted stores, and threw rocks at police officers, during a destructive rampage around the city.
It was against this violent backdrop that Graham discovered her son wearing a black ski mask amidst a crowd of people and forced him to go home.
"He will not be a Freddie Gray," she wrote on Facebook after her actions went viral.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Graham was "a powerful expression about the role that parents can play."
Pastor Bryant, who officiated Gray's funeral, playfully said the mother should be both admired and feared.
"I hope I don't do anything wrong in front of her," he laughed. "I don't want her choking me out or pulling me out! She's no holds barred. Those are the kinds of mums we used to have, that we need to have again."
