California Black Media
LOS ANGELES — The California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute brought together Mayor Karen Bass, best-selling author Anna Malaika Tubbs C
The discussion, held Aug. 22, at the A C Bilbrew Library, was part of the institute’s Museum of Black Women and Girls Pop-up Book Series. The event examined the longstanding role Black women have played in caring for children, supporting families and strengthening communities, often extending the idea of motherhood beyond biological relationships.
Tubbs, the author of “The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation,” joined Bass to explore how networks of Black women have helped nurture families and influential leaders throughout history.
“Community mothering has always been part of how Black women have sustained our families, our neighborhoods and our movements,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, president and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute.
The conversation also focused on how communities can rebuild and strengthen those networks today. Bass brought her experience as a public leader and longtime community organizer, while Tubbs’ work examines the often-overlooked influence of mothers and women who helped shape transformative figures.
“The Three Mothers” centers on Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King and Louise Little, the mothers of James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The book explores their lives, resilience and influence beyond the achievements of their sons.
The event is part of the institute’s Museum of Black Women and Girls, which seeks to preserve, document and celebrate the experiences and contributions of Black women and girls in California and beyond. Through its Pop-Up Book Series, the museum connects literature and history with conversations about issues facing communities today.
The gathering provided a forum for residents to discuss rebuilding community connections, strengthening relationships across generations and recognizing collective care as a source of community strength.
