Now, with its well-deserved nomination for an NAACP award, there's no escaping the desire to finally share my review. And I still won’t do it justice. Our Secret Society: Molly Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement by Tanisha Ford is a captivating journey into a world where chic revolutionaries and activism intertwine seamlessly. Upon stumbling upon this NAACP-nominated masterpiece, I couldn't resist sharing my glamorous revelation. This book is a love letter to the chic, pink-loving revolutionaries seeking their place. In the enchanting tale of Molly Moon, we witness an activist utilizing femininity to wield influence in Harlem's power circles. The author, Tanisha Ford, skillfully guides us through Gilded parties and the sultriest Vibez, painting a vivid picture of glamour and purpose. To any woman yearning for a soft life intertwined with activism, this book is a must-read. It not only unravels the funding secrets behind the civil rights movement but also emphasizes that contributing to noble causes doesn't require sacrificing glamour. Your unique contributions are vital and splendidly necessary.

A chance to see history from the ground up. Here was a moment in time when civil rights leaders were forming the tenets of a movement that has set the stage for civil rights movements throughout the sixties, seventies and beyond. Molly Moon realized early the importance of interaction, the need to have those who handled the purse strings of America sympathetic to equality for people of color. You are treated to the fun and frustration that African Americas experienced in this moment in American social history.

What a great read! This was a very thoroughly researched and informative book on Mollie Moon and her efforts to support the Civil Rights Movement. We all know about the men and women on the forefront, but this tells of the behind the scenes work it took to make sure the movement was as successful as possible. I am always looking for the stories of the unsung heroes and this is definitely one! I will definitely recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was an interesting read. I had never heard of Mollie Moon prior to reading this book. I liked learning about this very fascinating woman. It was good to get a glimpse into the grass roots fundraising behind the civil rights movement. Mollie Moon was a driving force and very skilled at getting the right people in the room to help fund the cause. It was amazing learning about the different facets of Mollie’s life. This was a well researched read. It was very informative but also entertaining at the same time.

Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement by Tanisha Ford

388 Pages
Publisher: Amistad
Release Date: October 24, 2023

Nonfiction (Adult), Biographies, Memoirs, Civil Rights

Mollie Moon is an influential woman. She was part of a group sent to Moscow to do propaganda ads for how the United States treated Black people. When things were getting uncomfortable, the group left and traveled to Berlin.

The group returned to New York and rubbed elbows with high society. Mollie was involved with the National Urban League. The problem for her was that she was a woman, and the organization had a hard time putting a woman in charge. She was relegated to a party planner. She decided if that was her role, she would show them. She was the best party planner and used her role to tap into high society and raise money. This showed how much clout she still retained.

The spotlight shifted to the many Black societies. White people began complaining about the Blacks being placed in high standing positions. Also, the Blacks complained about Black history month only being concerned with slavery instead of their achievements.

This is a well-researched and written book. The author has a flowing writing style. It was interesting learning about Mollie and her travels. She was a wealthy woman back in the day and used her power and influence.

I was unfamiliar with the story of Mollie Moon, which led to my interest in this title. There are so many figures that had incredibly critical roles in the Civil Rights Era whose stories we know little of or nothing at all. Our Secret Society was much more than Mollie’s story. While I learned so much about Mollie – her aspirations, traveled path and important work with the National Urban League – I also learned quite a bit about the era in which she lived. There were several historical figures and facts that were new to me, interactions between known figures that I had not previously heard and a greater context applied to some of the groups that we all know well and the work that they did. This book offers a critical look at how groups moved forward the cause of Black empowerment but also the ways in which others, and they themselves, stifled that very work.

I would recommend this book to those who are interested in doing a deep dive into the important work of the Civil Rights Era. I am sure readers will also derive thoughts about actions that can be taken now and some that should be avoided.

Great introduction to Mollie Moon and her philanthropic fundraising efforts that went to support the civil rights movement. It also gives a lot of information about the National Urban League and its players.

I enjoyed this book because it sheds light on lesser know people who dedicated a lot of time and energy, if not their entire lives, to supporting the civil rights movement and really trying to make this country better for Black Americans.

The book is well written and thoroughly researched. I feel like this might have started as a dissertation, but that’s ok because it’s still very informative and easy to digest.

Description
An engrossing social history of the unsinkable Mollie Moon, the stylish founder of the National Urban League Guild and fundraiser extraordinaire who reigned over the glittering "Beaux Arts Ball,” the social event of New York and Harlem society for fifty years—a glamorous event rivalling today’s Met Gala, drawing America’s wealthy and cultured, both Black and white.

Our Secret Society brilliantly illuminates a little known yet highly significant aspect of the civil rights movement that has been long overlooked—the powerhouse fundraising effort that supported the movement—the luncheons, galas, cabarets, and traveling exhibitions attended by middle-class and working-class Black families, the Negro press, and titans of industry, including Winthrop Rockefeller.

No one knew this world better or ruled over it with more authority than Mollie Moon. With her husband Henry Lee Moon, the longtime publicist for the NAACP, Mollie became half of one of the most influential couples of the period. Vivacious and intellectually curious, Mollie frequently hosted political salons attended by guests ranging from Langston Hughes to Lorraine Hansberry. As the president of the National Urban League Guild, the fundraising arm of the National Urban League; Mollie raised millions to fund grassroots activists battling for economic justice and racial equality. She was a force behind the mutual aid network that connected Black churches, domestic and blue-collar laborers, social clubs, and sororities and fraternities across the country.

Historian and cultural critic Tanisha C. Ford brings Mollie into focus as never before, charting her rise from Jim Crow Mississippi to doyenne of Manhattan and Harlem, where she became one of the most influential philanthropists of her time—a woman feared, resented, yet widely respected. She chronicles Mollie’s larger-than-life antics through exhaustive research, never-before-revealed letters, and dozens of interviews.

Our Secret Society ushers us into a world with its own rhythm and rules, led by its own Who’s Who of African Americans in politics, sports, business, and entertainment. It is both a searing portrait of a remarkable period in America, spanning from the early 1930s through the late 1960s, and a strategic economic blueprint today’s activists can emulate.

Our Secret Society includes 16 pages of never-before-seen photographs.

Review
I was granted an ARC in exchange for a review. This is the second book that I have read from Tanisha C. Ford and she is quickly becoming an automatic purchase for me. One does not have to be a scholar to enjoy this book: it has a breezy prose and the gossip is juicy. In describing this book to others, I mention the "tea," Mollie's prowess as a fundraiser, and the visit back to hub of Black thought via salons, with a dash of Black feminism. This book does not shy away from the question of how to best support Black causes financially, a question that philanthropoids, fundraisers, scholars, organizers, and others still grapple with. I have recommended this book to fellow scholars who are studying Black philanthropy and have paired with the biographies on Bayard Rustin and Madame CJ Walker.

This book was not what I was expecting...it was so much more. Not only told the story of Molly Moon but to do it justice the author,Tanisha Ford, had to bring in the activism of the civil rights movement because of Molly, her husband, Henry, and their peers would one day form the Urban League and the NAACP. Molly and Henry were not wealthy in the beginning. What they didn’t have in money, they did have in time to totally immerse their lives to giving to those less fortunate. .This has generation of .men tried to marginalize what Molly was doing by only throwing these galas and bringing in money was looked down upon until they one day decided it wasn’t such a disservice as it was an exemplaryway of funding these galas. A common goal bringing together the very wealthiest of Black and white society. of their generation with respect to be helping the underprivileged Negro families. The book spotlighted Molly, while also demonstrating the socioeconomic, political and fractious debates that occurred and yet they were there to help form the Urban League and NAACP. I was born in 1957, so I missed all of Molly’s reign as queen of the galas with her beautiful gowns and her beauty in general. Her reign ended in about the mid ‘60’s. Molly too was in her sixties now and what worked six decades ago wasn’t translating well with thethe new order of activists. I however do remember seeing news of the civil rights movement, the riots, but didn’t understand what it was all about. This book was so informational for people of my generation. I felt sometimes like it read like a college dissertation but most of the time it drew me in wanting to know more of what happened next. The book was so well researched in all aspects of social, political and in general, the life in each generation. The book should be mandatory reading for high school and college students. Adults would also benefit by reading this book It was more than I could or wanted to sit down and read at one time mine was two or three evenings. I would like to thank the following for allowing me to read and review early: #NetGalley, #SPHarperCollins, #TanishaFord, #OurSecretSosiety, Publication Date: October24,2023. These were totally my own, honest opinions.

"Our Secret Society" chronicles Mollie Moon's (Lewis) journey of activism within the NAACP, Urban League, and numerous other Black American organizations fighting for civil rights during the 1940s-1960s. Tanisha Ford thoroughly researched historical facts in order to bring a new perspective to the current generation.

Rating 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for the opportunity to read Our Secret Society by Tanisha Ford.

Riveting.

Impeccably researched.

In an effort to educate myself regarding the roots of the Civil Rights movement, this book was beyond enlightening.. The group of women who were the backbone of the movement, including financially, were a diverse group with one goal.

Mollie Moon's story is one that I wish were more widely known. An incredible force.

This incredibly researched book, shares the amazing story of the origins of the NAACP and the woman responsible for supporting a generation of activists. If you’re at all interested history, Civil Rights, or the true story of American activism pick this book up. I devoured each page,