Josephine Baker (left), Mollie Moon (right) and the newly crowned Miss Beaux Arts Ball, 1960.
E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts/Detroit Public Library/Amistad imprint of Harper Collins
hide caption
toggle caption
E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts/Detroit Public Library/Amistad imprint of Harper Collins
Josephine Baker (left), Mollie Moon (right) and the newly crowned Miss Beaux Arts Ball, 1960.
E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts/Detroit Public Library/Amistad imprint of Harper Collins
When we think of the Civil Rights Movement, opulent parties are probably not the first thing that come to mind. However, they were an important part of the fight for racial justice, particularly the events organized by Black socialite Mollie Moon in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s.
Recognized as one of the most influential women of the civil rights era, Moon led the fundraising arm of the National Urban League and is acknowledged for raising millions to promote economic and racial equality in the U.S. However, historian Tanisha Ford only came across Moon’s name accidentally while conducting 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 collected 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. Yet, she faced criticism from activists who were skeptical of taking money from wealthy 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. However, she adds that 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,” Ford says.
Ford’s new book is Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamor, Money and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement.
Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement, by Tanisha Ford
Harper Collins
hide caption
toggle caption
Harper Collins
Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement, by Tanisha Ford
Harper Collins
Interview highlights
On Moon’s celebrity-packed parties
These parties, by all accounts, were fabulous. Her signature event was the Beaux Arts Ball. She would host that event every year since 1940, and it was an event that started off in Harlem at the Savoy Ballroom and then moved in the 1960s, the early 1960s, to the Astoria Hotel in midtown New York. And these events brought together all sorts of people, as you mentioned, everybody from weary subway workers and domestic laborers to titans of industry, including the Rockefeller family, people like Billie Holiday. Katherine Dunham at one point was a sponsor for the event. I even found in the records where she had invited the Duke and Duchess — the former king of England [Edward VIII] and Wallis Simpson — to be judges for the costumed affair portion of the Beaux Arts Ball.
On the programs funded by the National Urban League
They were funding everything from voter registration drives to things like the March on Washington, but also Black youth programs. Mollie Moon’s degree was in pharmacy, and before she went into social work, which became her long-term career, she had a dream of becoming a biology teacher. So she was deeply invested in what today we call STEM. And so a lot of the funds went toward funding Black youth, for them to have educational programs. And then other things fundedLillian Scott’s critique of Black individuals associating with affluent white liberals is emblematic of a new wave of young and radical Black journalists who warn against being lured by the wealth amassed through systems like slavery. Scott emphasized that African Americans still predominantly live in poverty, and glitzy events will not address generations of economic discrepancies. She skillfully used her column in the Chicago Defender to discuss issues of race, class, and gender in a nuanced manner, employing the form of society pages to convey her message.
The concern remains that the accumulation of wealth, even when channeled into movements, often leads to a stagnation where the money fails to reach the communities that need it most. Questions about who receives the money and the time period for redistribution to Black communities persist, highlighting structural issues in fundraising for the movement.
Moreover, a critical issue is the dependency on white philanthropy and the potential consequences when the support from white sources diminishes. The present scenario echoes this predicament, as organizations dedicated to racial justice received substantial donations in 2020, only to face a potential decrease in funding in subsequent years, reflecting a shift in societal priorities.
Reflecting on the life of Mollie Moon, her bravery in being unapologetically herself during a time of intense persecution of Black individuals is highlighted. Her mission of spreading Black joy, a joy so infectious that it benefits everyone, resonates strongly today. The message is clear: acknowledging the suffering of others and being willing to make sacrifices, whether in the form of financial contributions, volunteering, or advocacy, can empower individuals to drive the much-needed change in the world.
