"Tubbs' connection to these women is palpable on the page ― as both a
mother and a scholar of the impact Black motherhood has had on America. Through
Tubbs' writing, Berdis, Alberta, and Louise's stories sing. Theirs is a
history forgotten that begs to be told, and Tubbs tells it
brilliantly."
― Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning
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.
A New York Times Bestsellers Editors' Choice
An Amazon Editor's Pick for February
One of theSkimm's "16 Essential Books to Read This Black History Month"
One of Fortune Magazine's "21 Books to Look Forward to in 2021!"
One of Badass Women's Bookclub picks for "Badass Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021!"
One of Working Mother Magazine's "21 Best Books of 2021 for Working Moms"
One of Ms. Magazine's "Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of Us 2021"
One of Bustle's "11 Nonfiction Books To Read For Black History Month ― All Written By Women"
One of SheReads.com's "Most anticipated nonfiction books of 2021"
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.
