Louise Little (c. 1897-1989) battled oppression and challenged white supremacy while raising eight children, one of whom was Malcolm X.
Louise Little (c. 1897-1989) battled oppression and challenged white supremacy while raising eight children, one of whom was Malcolm X.
While motherhood can take many forms, to mother is to usher forth new generations through care, work and imagination. For the entire month of December, we’re celebrating mothers — including those who raised children who went on to lead the civil rights movement and school desegregation efforts, such as Alberta King and Louise Little, as well as mothers of movements like Lorena Borjas who started the Latinx trans movement. All of the women featured this month were dedicated to the survival of children in their work and to imagining better futures for the next generation.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Anna Malaika Tubbs, the author of The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin Shaped A Nation. My work focuses on motherhood, through the lens of feminism, intersectionality, and inclusivity, and I’ll be your guest host for this month of Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about mothers: women who ushered forth new generations and new futures through their care, work, and imagination.
Today we’re talking about one of the incredible women that inspired my book. She battled oppression and challenged white supremacy while raising eight children to be influential thought leaders. Let’s talk about the mother of Malcolm X, Louise Little!
Helen Louise Langdon was born on the Caribbean island of Grenada in either 1894 or 1897. Her birth year, among other early details about her life, is difficult to confirm. But we know that her mother died when she was just a baby, and Louise was raised by her grandmother, Mary Jane, and her aunt Gertrude.
The matriarch, Mary Jane, and her husband, Jupiter, were considered “liberated Africans”. This meant they had once been enslaved but were now free. Mary Jane and Jupiter were proud of their African roots and made sure to pass that pride down to their descendants.
They also passed along their commitment to self-reliance and challenging the status quo. They were employed landowners who believed that the more you could do on your own, the better. In the summer of 1917,Louise emigrated to Montreal, Canada, where her uncle lived. Shortly after arriving, Louise’s uncle introduced her to Garveyism – the Black nationalist movement led by the political activist Marcus Garvey.
Louise took to Garveyism immediately. She aligned with Garvey’s message of self-determination and his goal of uplighting and unifying Black Americans across the nation. He believed Black Americans should be self-reliant by building their own infrastructures and institutions. Drawn to this belief, Louise joined the UNIA or the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which Garvey founded with his wife in 1914.
Through UNIA, Louise met Earl Little, a Southern Baptist minister. Somewhere in between spreading the message of Black liberation and sharing plans to create a better life for themselves, Louise and Earl fell in love. The two married on May 10, 1919, in Montreal. By most accounts their marriage was turbulent, and Earl could be violent., But their shared passions kept their union intact.
In 1920, Louise and Earl moved to Philadelphia and welcomed their first son, Wilfred, into the world. The next year, the trio moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where they expanded their family and opened a local UNIA chapter. While Earl recruited for the organization, Louise was the chapter secretary and a writer for Marcus Garvey’s newspaper, “The Negro World”. Louise also provided for the family by selling her clothing designs.
This young family defied the stereotypes and expectations for most Black American families at the time. Louise and Earl bought land and provided for themselves through farming and hunting. Their unconventional lifestyle enraged their white neighbors. Even other Black folks sometimes kept their distance from the radical Littles.
In 1925, when Louise e was pregnant with her fourth child, Malcolm, the KKK targeted the Little family. One night, when Louise was home alone with her children, Klansmen on horseback approached the house. They yelled and threw things at the house demanding to speak with Earl. Instead of cowering in fear and waiting for the men to retreat, Louise calmly went outside onto the porch and told the men her husband wasn’t there. She met their insults and threats with courage and strength. In the face of hate and danger, Louise stood tall. Shortly thereafter, on May 19, 1925, Malcolm X was born.
Louise took a very hands-on approach with raising her children. They were required to recite the alphabet in French, read multiple newspapers, including “The Negro World, and had to look up every new word they encountered in the family dictionary. Louise monitored their education like a hawk. She frequently had to correct the racist, inaccurate lessons her children were taught in school with her own teachings. Because of their mother’s diligence, the Little children never believed they were inferior to anybody else. Louise cultivated a Pan-Africanist worldview that solidified their pride as members of the African diaspora. These teachings became foundational for Malcom’s later work with the Nation of Islam and the Black Power Movement.
Over the next few years, Louise and Earl moved throughout the Midwest, from Nebraska to Wisconsin to Michigan, and welcomed three more children.
Then, in 1931, tragedy struck the Little family. Earl was run over by a streetcar. His death was ruled an accident. Malcom struggled with this official account, but allegations of a planned attack have been largely refuted.
After struggling to provide for her family, Louise went against everything she believed and accepted federal aid. For eight years, Louise fought against a system designed to put her down. Benefits were routinely withheld and Louise was pressured to sell her land. In the end, structural racism won out and a judge began dismantling Louise’s family. A judge placed her children in different foster homes and Louise in the Kalamazoo Mental Hospital. Her hospitalization was believed to be a form of incarceration. Between 1939 and 1963, Louise was separated from her kids for her radical act of living as a proud, independent, landowning, immigrant Black woman.
After 25 years, Louise was released, thanks to the tireless advocacy of her children. They fought for 25 years to secure their mother's freedom. During his rise to prominence, Malcom distanced himself from the situation. But recently published letters suggest a deep gratitude for his mother. In a 1949 letter to his brother, Malcolm wrote, “My accomplishments are ours, and yours are mine, but all of our achievements are Mom’s, for she was a most Faithful Servant of the Truth years ago. I praise Allah for her.”
Louise enjoyed almost 30 years of freedom after her release. She spent her final years with her daughter in Woodland Park, Michigan.
On December 18, 1989, Louise Little passed away. She is a reminder that for years Black women have been the sustaining force behind Black movements and protests.
All month, we’re talking about mothers. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan for having me as a guest host.
Talk to you tomorrow!