Essay
What Black Motherhood Means To Me
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Dina Kantor
Feb 16, 2021
What does Black motherhood mean to you? The answer, of course, is as varied as the millions of individuals who identify as Black moms across the United States. To mark Black History Month (this year’s theme is The Black Family) and to honor these women and the vital and complex legacy of Black motherhood in the U.S., we asked moms coast to coast to answer the open-ended prompt, “What Black motherhood means to me…” From Brooklyn to Boston, Atlanta to California, this group of mothers sounded off in a variety of inspiring ways. While their answers are expectedly diverse, we think most can agree with Austin-based writer, poet, and mother Tiffany Rose Smith’s summation: “Black motherhood has always been and continues to be a beautifully divine, liberating, and revolutionary act.”
After reading these mothers’ touching ruminations, we encourage you to continue reading up on the brand-new Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, a 12-part package of legislation that looks to protect Black mothers now and for generations to come.
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"As a Black immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for two decades, Black motherhood to me is complex. I am frequently navigating my identity against the backdrop of my African upbringing and my place as a Black woman and mother in a country whose systems have oppressed and stifled Black people for centuries, and has been my home for 20-plus years. My children are second generation Americans, and I want to raise them to be rooted in and proud of their culture, and intellectual citizens of the world. I want them to know that they belong anywhere and everywhere. Lately, Black motherhood has been a dance between nurturer and advocate—loving and affirming, while also protecting and speaking up for my little ones. I see Black Boy Thrive as my contribution to Black motherhood. It is my advocacy to protect my Black son and other little Black boys from unfair discipline and treatment they receive as early as in preschool. But it goes beyond preschool. I want my Black son and daughter to feel safe and loved in their skin."
Atlanta-based Busola Saka is a professional communicator, and founder of Black Boy Thrive, a social media-based advocacy network devoted to helping Black children (especially boys) soar! She is mother to Jimi, 6, and Lola, 4.
You can learn more about Busola by reading her "Mom Talk" essay about the importance of protecting Black boys, and following her at @blackboythrive on Instagram.
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"Black motherhood means loving and supporting unconditionally. Guiding, showing, and sharing what is possible. Black motherhood means empowering my Black son to know that he has a place in this world, that he is not at a disadvantage because he is Black, but empowered because of it. And teaching him that he can do, be, and create anything that he desires. That is his power. And it is my job to make sure he knows that."
Alpharetta, Georgia-based Stephanie Synclair is the founder and CEO of LaRue 1680, a luxury loose leaf tea company focused on organic, sustainably harvested ingredients. She is mother to Caden, 14.
You can find Stephanie at @larue.1680 on Instagram and @larue1680 on Facebook.
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"[Black motherhood means] being the foundation of the family, a source of sustenance and support. Black mothers are caretakers, teachers, drill sergeants, doctors, chefs, taxi drivers, cheerleaders, and best friends. We act as an anchor for our children while inspiring them to reach for the stars. As a Black mother, it is our job to protect our children at all costs; just like it is the job of a lioness to protect her cubs. We hold our children's hands throughout their lives to help guide them, but eventually let them go to spread their wings and fly."
Connecticut-based Charnaie Gordon is an influencer, blogger, and podcast host devoted to diversity in children's books. The creator of 50 States 50 Books and the beloved Here Wee Read blog and social feeds (and a podcast of the same name), she recently authored her first book, A Kids Book About Diversity, which is out this Spring.
The mother of Madison, 8, and Barrington, 7, can be found at @hereweeread, @50states50books, and @authorcharnaiegordon on Instagram.
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"Being a Black mother is about so much more than loving and nurturing your child, which of course is the priority. We also have to equip our children with the tools to navigate a world that will quickly judge them for what they look like over their talent, character or experience.
I was partly raised in Ghana, where I had a very different upbringing to the one my son has in that I was surrounded by people in positions of power and authority who all looked like me, and that was very grounding. Conversely, I also had less freedom to speak my mind and question the status quo.
I want my son to have pride in his culture, both American and Ghanaian, and to dream big, so I surround him with lots of books featuring inspirational Black leaders. I tread that delicate balance between giving him full confidence in his ability to be all he dreams of (currently an inventor), and an awareness of what came before and the inequities that continue to exist. We talk a lot about the world we live in and about gender and race. It’s a lot to navigate! But I’m doing my best to get it right."
Brooklyn-based Dee Poku is founder of The WIE Suite, a professional network and resource center dedicated to the future of women in business. She's mom to Sebastian, 8.
You can find out more about Dee in her MOTHER profile, and by following her at @deepoku, @thewiesuite, and @blackwomenraise on Instagram.
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"Black motherhood is the story of us all. We all have a connection to it. I’m thinking of the midwives who birthed countless babies before the systematic dismantling of their industry. I’m thinking of the Black nannies and caregivers who many of us wouldn’t be able to mother well without. I think even of the first human mother who is believed to have lived in Africa so many thousands of years ago. Black motherhood mothers us all. That makes me feel very blessed to be who I am and doing the work I’m doing."
Boston-based Breighl Robbins is the founder of Ebi, a company focused on organic, plant-based products for women and mothers (especially during the postpartum period). She is mom to Phyllis, who is almost 4.
You can learn more about Breighl and Ebi by reading her MOTHER profile, and following her at @ebi.kit and @breighlrobbins on Instagram.
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"Black Motherhood is first, motherhood. Like my non-Black counterparts, I want the best for my children. I want them to grow into healthy, happy, contributing adults. I love their laughs and watching them discover new things. I tire of sticky tables, half-eaten apples, and missed naps. I also hope, with this country’s cruel history of dehumanizing Black women’s bodies and calling it science, that I will receive equitable prenatal care so I get to meet my babies. I pray anytime they’re out of my sight that they’ll be safe and return whole and unbroken by a system bent on criminalizing or fetishizing them. I prioritize instilling an unwavering sense of self and love of their people so no matter where they go they’re grounded in who they are and trust themselves. Black motherhood is a delicate balance of wanting our children to feel empowered while understanding inherent dangers of being Black and free. It is living at the crossroads of transformative love, hope, and vigilance. Black motherhood has always been and continues to be a beautifully divine, liberating, and revolutionary act."
Austin-based Tiffany Rose Smith is a writer and mother to Judah, 6, and Bodhi, 4.
You can find out more about her and her work at @rosewithwords on Instagram and Medium and rosewithwords.com.
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"Black motherhood means pushing the world closer to the vision we have for it, one where we and our children are seen and treated with the dignity and respect that we deserve. It also means having faith in possibilities beyond what we can readily see and trusting that someday the humanity in all of us will be recognized because we will transform systems until it is."
California-based Anna Malaika NtiAsare-Tubbs is an academic and author of the recently released book The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation. The mother of Michael Malakai, 1, is expecting her second child this August.
You can learn more about Anna by reading her touching essay on Changing The Way We View Motherhood, scooping up her book, and following her at @annastea_honesty on Instagram.
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"Black motherhood means leaning into play as an act of resistance. It means fiercely protecting my children’s right to experience the innocence of childhood. It means making sure my children can see themselves in the stories that shape their childhood while we grown ups do the important work of creating a more just world, a world that is worthy of them.
I started Mirror Mirror Books to allow kids of all backgrounds to see themselves reflected in the pages of storybooks and to help their parents prepare them for life's big moments. Our first book tackles the COVID-19 pandemic and comes in 14 versions so the child in the book can look a bit like the child in your life."
New Yorker Nerissa Holder Hall, currently based in Kingston, Jamaica, is the mother of twins Vivienne and Dean, 4, and the founder of Mirror Mirror Books, whose first book—The Day I Beat The Germs—is out now.
You can learn more about Nerissa at @nerissahh and @mirrormirrorbooks on Instagram.
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I think there should be legislation that protects Black people exclusively because of all we have made and done for the USA. Not to mention, the struggle and ultimate sacrifices to all Black mother’s.