How moms shape the world | Anna Malaika Tubbs (re-release)
5/6/202615 min
Mothers undeniably impact and shape history -- but their stories are often left out or misrepresented, says sociologist and author Anna Malaika Tubbs. This erasure limits policies to support mothers and their essential roles in society. Citing the remarkable lives of Alberta King, Louise Little and Berdis Baldwin (the mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin, respectively), Tubbs emphasizes the need to shift the perspective on motherhood at a cultural level -- to better reflect the presence, power and influence of moms as our first leaders, caretakers and teachers. "Would the world be different today if we had been telling their stories all along?" she asks.
(This episode originally aired in 2022.)
Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsElise Hu· Host0:01
[gentle music] You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. I have three daughters and a mom who is alive and well. So with Mother's Day just a few days away here in the US, maybe it's no surprise we keep coming back to the same question: how well do we actually tell the stories of mothers?
Anna Malaika Tubbs· Soundbite0:25
Every year around January 15th, the world rightfully celebrates the birth of the great Martin Luther King Jr., yet virtually no one has stopped to consider who else was in that room that day in 1929. As if somehow, MLK Jr. birthed himself.
Elise Hu· Host0:44
In this talk, sociologist and author Anna Malaika Tubbs makes the case that the way we tell or don't tell the stories of moms has consequences far beyond hurt feelings. It shows up in policy, or the lack of it.
Anna Malaika Tubbs· Soundbite0:59
If the stories we told of mothers reflected their presence, their importance, their power, their influence, their wholeness, and their humanity, then it would be easier for everyone to appreciate their roles and back them with the support that they deserve.
Elise Hu· Host1:21
Anna traces the remarkable lives of three women many people have never heard of: Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Baldwin,