Abstract

This paper explores the pivotal role of Black mothers in the Black Power Movement, examining the ways that they exemplified or rejected the ideas about Black motherhood that were popular during the 1960s and 70s and within their revolutionary movement. While much of the scholarship on the Black Power Movement has traditionally focused on male leadership figures and their activism, this study highlights the often-overlooked influence of Black women, particularly mothers, who balanced familial duties with radical political engagement. Through an analysis of the Black Panther Party Newspaper, The Black Panther Intercommunal News Service, personal narratives, and oral histories, this paper argues that Black mothers were essential to the success and endurance of the movement, while receiving very little meaningful consideration or support from others involved in the Black Power Movement and their organizations at large. These women navigated a complex terrain of opinions about the “Black mother” while at times also making decisions about having children, mothering their children, and participating in militant revolutionary activities. By centering Black revolutionary motherhood, this research bridges the striking love for children that existed within the Black Power Movement and the growing scholarship surrounding female member- and leader-ship within this revolutionary movement.

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