In this episode of the Get Loved Up Podcast, Koya Webb talks to author Anna Malaika Tubbs. Anna focuses on how she was inspired to write her book, which tells the story of Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, Louise Little, the mothers who raised three of the most influential figures in African American history, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. Anna also talks about the systemic racism that still haunts women of color today, and the difficulties of raising a black family in this political climate.
Anna Malaika Tubbs is a New York Times Bestselling author, advocate, and educator who is inspired to bring people together through the celebration of difference. Motivated by her mother’s work advocating for women’s and children’s rights around the world, Anna uses an intersectional lens to advocate for women of color and educate others. Her focus is on addressing gender and race issues in the US, especially the pervasive erasure of Black women which she explored in her recent release The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation.
Connect with Anna and her work in the links below:
HIGHLIGHTS
02:23 The secret power of power naps
05:12 The story behind the book
10:24 Rewriting the stories of the black mothers
15:22 The role of white supremacy in the erasure of black mothers' stories
19:50 Black people do not need to educate everyone of their pain
22:35 We don't need to carry the burden alone
23:40 Anna's self-care habits and ways to prioritize family
32:35 Ways that society can improve their treatment of black mothers
38:32 Raising a black family in this political climate
50:19 Change is always possible in the world
QUOTES
08:31 Anna: "It happens all the time, that black women's stories are erased, that black mother's contributions are taken for granted. But I narrowed it down to the civil rights movement because we come back to it all the time in our policy discussions."
10:30 Anna: "It's very clear there's an intentional erasure of women's stories, and very specifically black women's stories. Because it doesn't fit this kind of hegemonic notion of this white male who is the leader, this white cisgender male as the hero of every story. It doesn't fit that, we're just gonna say it never happened or it didn't exist."
34:59 Anna: "These biases in our healthcare systems that tell back women, you're imagining this, this is just something you're feeling, happen over and over and over again. The black maternal health crisis, so much of it is a result of bias against black women that doesn't hear us, when I say this is happening to me."
36:48 Anna: "We as a nation have seen over and over again that policing should not be responsible for social work. There should be more funding put towards social workers and de-escalation and thinking about other resources that people could call, especially victims of domestic violence."
41:16 Anna: "I needed to keep a hold on my joy and my love, and not allow fear to be the only thing that I was feeling. To use that fear as a driving force, to face it, not to hide it. Say don't be afraid, but say yes, this world can be very scary but my joy and my agency is something I need to hold on to because that's how I continue to fight against these forces."
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