Tales of mothers of heroes 
The late Hyacinth Bradshaw is the mother of Guyanese celebrity broadcaster Basil Bradshaw (Photo by Francis Q. Farrier)
The late Hyacinth Bradshaw is the mother of Guyanese celebrity broadcaster Basil Bradshaw (Photo by Francis Q. Farrier)

By Francis Quamina Farrier  

There was Nelson Mandela who, with many of his brave comrades were fighting in the trenches, as it were, in the then Apartheid South Africa. It was a fierce struggle for human dignity as they fought bravely out of the valley of the shadow of death, up to the summit of the mountain Sinai of freedom and dignity.

Simultaneously, there was The Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, jr. bravely fighting for the downtrodden in the deeply racial United States of America where black mothers witnessed their sons being lynched as entertainment for white groups as they enjoyed their picnics for many decades. So, have you ever paused for a moment to think of the mothers of those black heroes of two of the greatest civil rights struggles of the 20th century?

Mrs Norma Clarke is the mother of well-known journalist Tangerine Clarke

Many mothers are taken for granted- sometimes by their own children. Fortunately, Mother’s Day allows them to make up on this special day. Mothers of international celebrities are most times barely mentioned in their biographies. How much do we know about the mother of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for example? Alberta Williams King, the mother of the renowned American Civil Rights Leader, was very active in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, working along with her husband the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. She was a trained school teacher by profession as well as the Music Director and principal organist at her church. It is apt to note that her teaching career was short-lived since she had to resign when she got married to the Senior Rev. King. At that time, married women were not permitted to teach.

Having a close relationship with his mother, Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote an essay while in college, in which he stated, “My mother worked behind the scenes, setting forth those motherly cares the lack of which leaves a missing link in life.” In her maturing years, Alberta Williams King was endearingly called “Mama King”. She was also described as being, “poised, gentle, an accomplished musician and scholarly”. As she continued her dedicated service to her church and community, her life was suddenly and unexpectedly snuffed out at age 69, while she was inside her church playing the organ at a morning service.

Entering the iconic Ebenezer Baptist Church that morning, a crazed young gunman began shooting while shouting, “It is the war”. He was taken down by men in the church and handed over to the police. Mrs. King, shot and bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital where she later died of her wounds. One of the Deacons who was shot also died. That tragic ending of the life of the mother of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. occurred close to six years after she suffered the loss of her hero son, also by an assassin’s bullet.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 9, 1968. His mother Alberta Williams King was assassinated on April 4, 1974. The assassin was tried, found guilty and condemned to death in the electric chair. However, the King family requested that the killer not be executed, due to their belief in non-violence. The killer, who was 23 years old at the time of the assassination of Mrs Alberta Williams King, died in prison at age 44.

Today, Mother’s Day 2020, we also take a look at the super mothers of South Africa; women who are internationally unknown, unlike their children, but whose children have done great deeds for the rest of humanity. For example, how much do we know about the mother of Nelson Mandela? Nosekeni Fanny Mandela was the third wife of the father of that great South African freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela, who became the first black president of that country.

With a middle-class background and royal blood, Mandela’s mother sent him to a top-grade Methodist school. He was later sent to “The Great Place” palace at Mqhekezweni where he was entrusted to the guardianship of the Thembu Regent. During a period of his early marriage, Mandela invited his mother and sister to spend time with him. Their relationship was that of a loving and caring mother to her son.

Another well-known South African freedom fighter was Steve Biko. His father died when he was just four leaving his mother to be the sole breadwinner for Steve and his three siblings. Alice Nokuzola Biko was there for her children giving Steve all the support she could as he juggled studies between Law and Medicine. “The average native mothers in South Africa experienced two types of systems: one for white South Africans that provided all the possibilities of achievement, privilege, control, acceptance and power,” according to Guyana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Professor Dr. Kenrick Hunte.

“A second system was under Apartheid that was the opposite of what white mothers in South Africa enjoyed,” the High Commissioner pointed out. With the end of Apartheid, things have been changing somewhat favourable for the black mothers in South Africa. Since his tour of duty commenced two years ago, the Guyana High Commissioner, his wife Claire and visiting Guyanese, have been working on projects, principally with education, to partner with South African mothers in areas such as Soweto.

The High Commissioner, Dr. Kenrick Hunte, related the condition for Black South African mothers during Apartheid. “Non-white mothers, mainly Africans, toiled as nannies, caregivers and maids for white families. They were underpaid, over-worked and held in low esteem. Many had insufficient time to nurture their own children,” the High Commissioner revealed. However, over the past two decades, more black mothers in South Africa are seeing the rewards of their efforts to have their children better educated and on the road to achieving what they have the abilities to achieve.

Some of the freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko were internationally known. Hollywood produced movies about their lives. However, little is still known about their mothers. So who are your national and international heroes and heroines, and how much do you know about their mothers? There is that saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world”.

Happy Mother’s Day 2020.

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