When we think of the Civil Rights Movement, opulent parties are probably not the first thing that come to mind. But it turns out, they were a big part of the fight for racial justice — especially the events organized by Black socialite Mollie Moon in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.
Known as one of the most influential women of the civil rights era, Moon served as president of the fundraising arm of the National Urban League and is credited with raising millions to build economic and racial equality in the U.S. But historian Tanisha Ford says she only heard of Moon accidentally, while doing research for another project.
“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.’ “
As Ford gathered press clippings about Moon, she realized there was a larger story to be told, “one that made people aware of this great leader of the Civil Rights Movement who had fallen out of the narrative.”
Moon’s New York City parties attracted stars like Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker, as well as wealthy white donors, Black elites and working class Black people. But Moon faced criticism from activists who were skeptical of taking money from rich white liberals.
“What African Americans feared was that that kind of influence would then steer the movement away from the issues that African Americans cared about and … toward issues that felt safe for white Americans,” Ford says.
Ford notes that debates about money, influence and social justice are still relevant today. But, she adds, fundraising is a crucial — and often-overlooked — part of the Civil Rights Movement.
“I have found that once I started to turn my attention to the money, that this story humanizes these people even more, and it makes the stakes of movement building all the more clear,”…
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