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Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the women who’ve nurtured us with their hands, prayers, stories, and strength. But today, I want to center a specific kind of love: the legacy-building, soul-sustaining, world-shaping love of Black mothers.
This is a love that has had to fight to exist. And still, it cooks. It braids. It sings. It resists. It holds generations together when everything else falls apart.
As a mom myself, and as someone who stands in awe of my mother and her mother before her, I write this in honor of them- and in honor of all Black mothers whose love has shaped families, communities, and the very course of history. As I work on my new short film about Black motherhood, I wanted to share a few raw clips showing how deep that love runs.
Who Is a Mother? The Power of “Motherwork”
When we speak of Black mothers in the context of civil rights and education, it’s important to recognize that not all Black women leaders in these movements were mothers in the biological sense. The historical record sometimes emphasizes their roles as women or community leaders rather than specifying their parental status. Yet, the use of the term “mother” in movement contexts is also deeply symbolic, reflecting the nurturing, protective, and community-building roles that many Black women assumed-whether or not they had children of their own.
“Motherwork” is the nurturing, protective, and community-building labor Black women perform, regardless of biological motherhood. It is central to Black women’s activism-balancing caregiving with a commitment to social justice and community uplift. Black women have long taken on the role of “mom” for entire communities, acting as “othermothers” who care for children beyond their own families, providing stability, guidance, and love to neighbourhoods and extended networks.
This activist mothering is a form of resistance and revolutionary praxis. Through “motherwork,” Black women have used storytelling, advocacy, and organizing to challenge oppression and create new pathways for change. Their mothering extended beyond their households, encompassing neighborhoods, congregations, and movements. In this way, the legacy of Black motherhood is both literal and symbolic, rooted in everyday acts of care, guidance, and fierce advocacy that define community leadership.
Illustrating “Motherwork” in Black Women’s Activism
To bring “motherwork” to life for your readers, consider these approaches:
- Highlight the Role of “Othermothers”:
In Black communities, women often act as “community othermothers,” caring for and mentoring children whose parents may need support. This tradition has deep roots in African American culture and is a testament to collective responsibility. - Showcase Activist Mothering as Resistance:
Black women’s community work-organizing, teaching, providing mutual aid-has always been both a survival strategy and a form of activism. Their “motherwork” has challenged injustice and built new futures. - Historical Records and Examples:
- The Harlem Nine: A group of Black mothers who organized a lawsuit against New York City’s Board of Education in the 1950s, demanding equal educational opportunities for all children.
- Anna Arnold Hedgeman: A leader who advanced Black freedom and community well-being by navigating male-dominated and white-dominated organizations.
- Harriet Tubman: Often called the “Moses” of her people, she was a mother to many, guiding enslaved people to freedom.
- Fannie Lou Hamer: Mothered a movement through her organizing, advocacy, and care for activists.
- Personal Stories or Film Clips:
Share vignettes from your short film showing Black women gathering neighborhood children, leading community meetings, or supporting one another through hardship. Use quotes from interviews or oral histories that capture the instinctive, everyday nature of this “motherwork.” - Visuals:
Include archival photos of Black women in community settings- organizing, teaching, feeding children, or leading marches- to visually reinforce the collective and nurturing dimensions of motherwork.
| Illustration Method | Example or Source |
|---|---|
| Definition/Explanation | “Motherwork” as nurturing, community-building labor |
| Historical Example | Harlem Nine’s legal activism for school equity |
| Othermothering | Community women caring for extended networks |
| Personal Story/Film Clip | Scenes of Black women leading, supporting, and organizing |
| Archival Photo | Images of women in church groups, schools, protests |
Black Mothers and the Civil Rights Movement
Black mothers and women who embodied the spirit of motherwork were pivotal in both grassroots and national civil rights efforts, often acting as the backbone of the movement even when denied formal recognition. Their activism took many forms:
- Strategic Organizers and Leaders:
Women like Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Septima Clark were instrumental in organizing, mentoring, and leading key civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, SCLC, and SNCC. Baker’s philosophy of participatory democracy and bottom-up leadership influenced generations of activists and shaped the movement’s direction. - Mothers Who Inspired Leaders:
The mothers of Martin Luther King Jr. (Alberta King), Malcolm X (Louise Little), and James Baldwin (Berdis Baldwin) provided not only guidance and emotional support but also instilled the values of dignity, resistance, and hope in their children. These values became the foundation for their children’s transformative activism.
- Catalysts for Change:
Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision to hold an open-casket funeral for her son Emmett Till exposed the brutality of racism to the world and galvanized the movement. Other women, such as Claudette Colvin and Daisy Bates, played direct roles in landmark legal battles and desegregation efforts. - Sustaining the Movement:
Black mothers and mother-figures often maintained the daily operations of the movement, organizing community support, providing safe havens, and ensuring the continuity of activism even in the face of violence and adversity.
Black Mothers and Educational Empowerment
The fight for educational equity and literacy has long been championed by Black mothers and mother-figures, who see education as a pathway to liberation and generational advancement:
- Challenging Inequity:
Black mothers have led efforts to dismantle segregated and under-resourced schools. The Harlem Nine, for example, filed suit against New York City’s Board of Education, demanding equal educational opportunities for their children and challenging discriminatory zoning policies. Their activism continues today, as mothers advocate for resources, support, and culturally relevant curricula. - Promoting Literacy and Achievement:
Black mothers have historically promoted literacy at home and in their communities, recognizing its critical role in economic independence and social mobility. Their involvement-reading with children, advocating for better schools, and sometimes homeschooling-directly supports academic achievement. - Multi-Generational Impact:
The educational attainment of Black mothers has a cascading effect on their children’s success. When mothers face barriers to education, their children often experience lower academic and socio-emotional outcomes. Conversely, empowered and educated mothers foster resilience, intellectual growth, and higher achievement in the next generation. - Visionaries for Change:
Black mothers continually reimagine what education should be, advocating for safe, high-quality, and inclusive environments. They validate diverse sources of knowledge and build strong family-school-community partnerships to ensure their children thrive.
A Lasting Influence
Black mothers-in both the literal and symbolic sense-have shaped America by fueling both the civil rights movement and the ongoing struggle for educational justice. Their leadership, advocacy, and unwavering belief in a better future have left an indelible mark on the nation’s conscience and continue to inspire new generations.
“They gave of themselves to a larger movement for Black freedom. This gift they granted all of us was not something that happened unintentionally…they believed not only in their own lives but in ours as well.”
- Anna Malaika Tubbs, The Three Mothers
As we honor Black mothers this Mother’s Day, let us celebrate their courage, vision, and enduring legacy-a legacy that continues to move us all toward justice, equality, and hope.
