Historian Tanisha Ford tells the story of the Harlem activist credited with raising millions to build economic and racial equality in the U.S. Ford's new book isE. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts/Detroit Public Library/Amistad imprint of Harper CollinsE.
"I stumbled across the name Mollie Moon in the newspaper clippings of the early 1960s. ... She was hosting this amazing beauty pageant that celebrated the beauty of Black women," Ford says."So I just tucked her name in the back of my mind and thought, 'I'm going to write something about this woman.'"
Ford notes that debates about money, influence and social justice are still relevant today. But, she adds, fundraising is a crucial — and often often-overlooked — part of the Civil Rights Movement.