The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs

 

I chose to listen to the unabridged audio version of The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs after hearing the author, along with Dr. Shirley N. Weber (California Secretary of State) speak at a virtual author event earlier this month on International Women's Day. 

I was intrigued by what Anna Malaika Tubbs shared with viewers during the virtual author event and also by the title of her newly published book. Motherhood is an important topic and women do shape the lives of future generations to come. Additionally, I enjoyed the idea of learning more about how three specific mothers shaped the lives of three important American Civil Rights leaders of the 20th century. So, with this in mind, I decided to read Anna Malaika Tubbs' book, The Three Mothers, this month during Women's History Month.

I was not disappointed!! The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the lives of Berdis Baldwin, Louise Little, and Alberta King. I also enjoyed learning more about the lives of their sons and the relationship each woman had with her son, along with more information about black history and black motherhood within the USA. 

Listening time for The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs is 6 hours, 51 minutes and is narrated by the author.

Below is the summary for The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs from Audible:

Much has been written about Berdis Baldwin's son James, about Alberta King's son Martin Luther, and Louise Little's son Malcolm. But virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them.

In her groundbreaking and essential debut The Three Mothers, scholar Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped some of America's most pivotal heroes.

Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little were all born at the beginning of the 20th century and forced to contend with the prejudices of Jim Crow as Black women. These three extraordinary women passed their knowledge to their children with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning - from Louise teaching her children about their activist roots, to Berdis encouraging James to express himself through writing, to Alberta basing all of her lessons in faith and social justice. These women used their strength and motherhood to push their children toward greatness, all with a conviction that every human being deserves dignity and respect despite the rampant discrimination they faced.

These three mothers taught resistance and a fundamental belief in the worth of Black people to their sons, even when these beliefs flew in the face of America’s racist practices and led to ramifications for all three families’ safety. The fight for equal justice and dignity came above all else for the three mothers.

These women, their similarities and differences, as individuals and as mothers, represent a piece of history left untold and a celebration of Black motherhood long overdue.

I am giving The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!