Anna Malaika Tubbs: The forgotten mothers of civil rights history

By Manoush Zomorodi,

Rachel Faulkner White, Katie Monteleone, Katie Simon

Published May 6, 2022 at 7:57 AM CDT

Alberta Williams King (left) with her son, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and daughter-in-law, Coretta Scott King on September 30, 1958.

About the Episode

MLK Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin are household names, but what about their mothers? This hour, author Anna Malaika Tubbs explores how these three women shaped American history.

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

About Anna Malaika Tubbs

Anna Malaika Tubbs is a sociologist and author of the best-selling book The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation. She grew up in Dubai, Mexico, Sweden, Estonia and Azerbaijan. Influenced by her exposure to all kinds of cultures and beliefs, she now works to bring people together through the celebration of difference.

After graduating from Stanford University with a bachelor's in anthropology, Tubbs earned her master's in multidisciplinary gender studies and her PhD in sociology from the University of Cambridge.

Anna Malaika Tubbs with her husband Michael Tubbs and their children

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