I was really inspired by Margot Lee Shetterly's 'Hidden Figures.' I was also inspired by Isabel Wilkerson's 'The Warmth of Other Suns.' Both books speak to the importance of understanding the Black American experience in order to understand the American experience, in not only our history but where we find ourselves as a country today. When I started my Ph.D, all I knew was that I wanted to join other scholars who were correcting the erasure of black women's stories. Q: What inspired you to write 'The Three Mothers'? That was something that my mom always did very well, she would spend time just getting to know people before she proposed anything and she went to places that we're facing crisis - she worked in Iraq, Afghanistan, in South Sudan - because she wanted to know these places for herself and she wanted to meet the people.

It's saying, 'I'm gonna learn about this for myself, and I'm also going to consider what has already been done,' instead of just jumping in and thinking from the beginning you know what's best for that cause or that person simply because you have a degree. Q: What does being an advocate mean to you?īeing an advocate means not only standing for somebody but standing and learning about experiences for yourself. They're sharing the stories of what they've done and for whom - unfiltered and in their own words. Nonetheless, we're taking time to amplify the notoriety of these changemakers. They may attract a level of celebrity in their communities and among their neighbors but they're not famous in a Hollywood sense. These people are making meaningful contributions but not necessarily in the limelight.

Anna malaika tubbs the three mothers