Novel by Anna Malaika Tubbs
E- book
This is an @Readblacknblog Review
This novel dived in depth about everything we did not know of three mothers by the name of Alberta King, Louise Little and Berdis Baldwin; all in which helped shape our history. These were the mothers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin. Birthed to our nation as civil rights leaders, men of faith and love, and much more but to their mothers they were their sons.
The author takes us through the stages of the 1900s from what we know as the Civil wars, Cold War, the Great Depression, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, race riots, police brutality, welfare debates and the effects of policies proposed by each president. All these events of history showed how persistent, resilient,motivated, educated, bold and compassionate the three women were in their own families, community, religion institutes and just the black community in its own self. The men we know were shaped into symbols of resistance by following their mother’s lead.
Why are women of color often forgotten?
The author takes us readers on a timeline journey using three different women with different backgrounds, but the same fight. We know the timeline of the Jim Crow story well; black women,men and children were not safe, but it was deemed justified by law. It didn’t matter how much education, faith, resistance, commitment these women portrayed it just was not enough to protect their sons.
Throughout Tubbs timeline, we are able to identify and relate to the stereotypical statistics of the black family unit. The system was set up so that the black family would struggle financially, be separated, starved, denied ,their men taken away, and the stigma of the children to be wayward were the odds stacked against the race as a whole. Knowing this, not only should these women be recognized for their contributions to their legacy and sons, but to the world. Louise gave us the importance of self-sufficiency, Alberta passed down the importance of social justice and Berdis gave us the importance of love and acceptance for all.
This book stands only part of our recognition to not only these three women stories, but of my great grandmother, grandmother, and mother. These are the stories of the women lost to the system that was supposed to protect us, but now we are saying the names of Breonna Taylor and Sandra. What about the stories of black women and girls who would never found, or of the misuse of our bodies anatomy for gain. So many stories never fully recovered or told. How can we do our part to tell the story, to get recognition? It’s to look behind the scenes and search for that black woman who pushed against, broke down and stepped over the obstacles and challenges that came her way. I am a story waiting to be heard, Sis you are a story waiting to be recovered. Let’s keep rooting for our sisters, let’s keep sharing that we; women of color exist.