You're listening to TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hugh. Not all of us are mothers, but all of us have mothers.

Sociologist Anna Malika Tubbs studies the impact of mothering, and it led us to consider the mothers of iconic black figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and James Baldwin. In her talk from

Ted Women 2021, she illuminates the importance of sharing the stories of mothers' lives and how

that can help moms get the support they deserve. 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. I toured the location where he was born, a charming,

quaint, two-story home in Atlanta. And while it was an honor to even be there, I left feeling

frustrated by the tour guide script. Of course, MLK Jr. was the center of most

of the tales, and then came stories about his father, the inspiring Reverend Martin Luther King,

senior. But what frustrated me was the lack of attention being paid to his mother. Alberta Christine Williams King.

Even though this was actually her childhood home first,

and the home where she later birthed her children

in a room on the second floor.

This erasure doesn't only concern Alberta.

Mothers in the U.S. are often misrepresented or completely left out in the stories we tell.

Mothers are used to being seen as selfless beings without needs for others to consider.

They're used to feeling belittled if they stay at home with their children

because the narrative says it's unproductive.

Or they might even hide the fact that they have children at work

so that they're still taken seriously rather than seen as distracted.

And they will not receive credit for the accomplishments of the loved ones they have supported day in and day out, because our

retelling of events doesn't feature the many acts of mothering. Beyond such instances being frustrating,

...