The Three Mothers

Wow. This book gave me so much, but to name a few things:

– A broader picture of the struggle for racial justice that began long before the civil rights movement (and its leaders) and continues into our current moment
– A better appreciation of intersectionality and why it matters. The stories of these black womens lives help make it clear in a way that abstract definitions never quite manage
– Deeper respect for the power of motherhood
– And perhaps most importantly, the untold stories of three remarkable people who played a pivotal role in shaping our nation that we dont know enough about. This book is the product of deep, original research combing archives and interviewing living relatives by the author in order to bring the stories into the spotlight they deserve. So even if you know the lives of their sons quite well, you wont know them the way you will after reading this book.

I am so grateful to Malaika Tubbs for writing this book. Aside from the important lessons shared, The Three Mothers were incredible women who 100% deserve to be known for their contributions to their families, communities and this world. I’m heartbroken pieces of their stories are long-gone and like Malaika Tubbs, can’t help but think of all the other incredible women whose contributions, courage and strength have been lost in history. Each women’s story brought about different emotions – I felt the fear Alberta felt for son’s work, I felt the strength of Louise as she stood up to the many injustices she faced, and I felt the heartache of Berdis when she laid her son to rest. And given the amount of information the author was able to uncover on each of the mothers – I feel she did an excellent job balancing the their stories while drawing important parallels to what we are seeing in the USA and world today. Spoiler alert: Sadly, not much has changed. Which is why this book is so important. We can ALL learn from these women (and LISTEN to the activists of today) and together we must continue their work – continue to fight against injustice and racial inequality – and believe in a better tomorrow! I whole-heartedly recommend this book.

After hearings a radio interview with Ms Tubbs I immediately ordered the book. So excited to read about the women responsible for their incredible sons. But this book is not really about them. The content however important is conveyed in a fair writing style.

I’ve only started and am already blown away! Looking forward to the new knowledge and understanding I’ll get from the rest of the reading journey

The book is 220 pages long and I don’t think 50 pages was actually about these women. Most of it is a history of the challenges of being a proud and self-respected black person during the 19th & 20th centuries. You will never learn how these women–who each sound remarkable– actually parented. There was way to much generalizing about racist social patterns. For instance the author suggests that social workers were overbearing, intrusive , and unhelpful to the Little and Baldwin families. How? Were they treated differently from the way white poor families were treated?

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