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

by Tanisha C. Ford

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Social Justice, Memoir, Biography Memoir

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2023

About the author

Tanisha C. Ford is a foremost voice, speaking at the intersection of politics and culture. She is an award-winning writer, cultural critic, and Associate Professor of Africana Studies & History at the University of Delaware. Tanisha is also a co-founder of TEXTURES, a pop-up material culture lab creating and curating content on bodies and the built environment. Her commitment to social justice and communities of color is evident in everything she produces.

A native of a mid-sized Midwestern city most people have never heard of, Tanisha enjoys researching the histories of often-overlooked people and places. Her work centers on social movement history, feminism(s), material culture, the built environment, black life in the Rust Belt, girlhood studies, and fashion, beauty, and body politics. She makes connections between the past and the present in ways that shed refreshing new light on contemporary cultural and political issues.

Reviews

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book and its description made it sound exciting and revelatory. I was disappointed. To me, it read like a Ph.D. dissertation or an academic paper. Mollie had an amazing education for a woman her age, a degree in pharmacy, yet she chose not to use it. She seemed to prefer something more glamorous. The author states, "Mollie was viewed as more of a ... socialite and political hostess….than a Mary McLeod Bethune. " I guess I was hoping to read about someone more like Bethune. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Haerlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Movements take people. People and money. There is no better person to follow 20th century civil rights fundraising through than Mollie Moon. And no one could’ve told the story better than Tanisha C. Ford. This book was like a perfect hike: teaming with life, beauty, struggle, full of information, where you’re led on a clear trail by a remarkable guide. Cobb somehow made descriptions of guild and leagues and club politics easy, smooth reading. It’s been ages since I read straight history/biography, and this one spoiled me with how compellingly and clearly written it was. Mollie was everywhere, from a club in Berlin to the Harlem Community Arts Center to starting the Beaux Arts Ball and Council of Urban League Guilds. She worked with Winthrop Rockefeller and Whitney Young; Josephine Baker and Muhammad Ali attended her balls. She sued the Pierre hotel and won! She integrated the Rainbow Room! And Ford always examines the complexity of fundraising, the difficulties of being female and black, the full, messy picture of the movement and the woman.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for book club, and I’m so glad I did. I learned so much about a figure in history that I truly had little to no knowledge of prior. Mollie was so pivotal to the civil rights movement in ways I never knew of. I’m glad her story was written and shared.

This is definitely more of a research driven book and reads more academic than purely biographical (not a bad thing, but it took me a while to get through)

I recommend this book if you enjoy:
Learning about hidden figures of the civil rights movement, academic research, and reading history in general.

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mollie Moon’s family always had a deep concern about human rights for the Negro people. The one problem is they did not have money the money to donate big sums. Thankfully, that did not stop them from finding another way to serve organizations like NAACP and the Urban League, etc. They did have time. Mollie Moon used it well. She became the perfect fundraiser. She had a wonderful reputation "as the doyenne of Harlem Society..." Her life teaches that if you can not do it one way do it another way. Also, a sterling reputation definitely does not hurt. I think there is a Bible quote about the importance of a good reputation. While reading about her life, I am gaining a better understanding of Politics. This book is lush with money, famous names, etc. It gives hope that our political desires are being represented by the right people. Of course, Martin Luther King is mentioned along with the males from the Rockefeller family. This novel is gargantuan in "How To Win And Influence People." You will not stop reading it. It will shine like gold on your office desk, on your bookshelf or in your lap at the beauty parlor.

[Beverly Manring · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. 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 the cause. .This generation of .men tried to marginalize what Molly was doing by only throwing these galas and 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 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, 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 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 in the high school and college age 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. I would like to thank the following for allowing me to read early: #NetGalley, #SPHarperCollins, #TanishaFord, #OurSecretSosiety, Publication Date: October24,2023. These were totally my own, honest opinions.

[Barbara Turk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author and well-regarded historian and writer Tanisha Ford "found" Molly Moon while researching how the 20th century Civil Rights movement was funded. The story centers Molly Moon in her role as strategist and organizer of wealth from white and Black elites in support of the National Urban League. The book details the and optics and conflicts related to the NUL and its reliance fundraising from the major White scions of corporations, philanthopic organizations, a society women. It also describes the power dynamics between Black male leaders and Molly Moon and her female peers, the taking for granted that the job of the women was to plan parties. Molly Moon and her power-packed rolodex far surpassed this expectation and stereotype. Understanding the importance of institution building, she established and led the New York City NUL Guild, which became a model adopted in cities across the country. These Guilds were led by Black women who were well-networked and worked cooperatively with other Black institutions in their fundraising efforts. She then convened the Guilds, each of which had its own strengths and methods, and they agreed to form a National consortium of NUL Guilds.

The author's research produced substantial material related to Molly Moon's early life, and the first chapter opens in Moscow, where Molly and her political friends are making a movie called "Black and White." Much of her thinking is formed by the politics of the 1940s and 1950s. The author succeeds in portraying the whole of Molly Moon's life, in spite of the stereotypical rumors and innuendo that was used by her rivals to discredit and dethrone her.

[Mackenzie Perger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I've read for school that I thought I should review here (and I read A LOT of books for school) and let me tell ya, not all of them make me want to pop over here and say that I read it. BUT I really wanted to for this book!! For my class, we got the opportunity to have an in-person conversation with the author, Tanisha Ford, which was incredibly insightful. We all got to nerd out talking about the research she did, how writing this book during the pandemic and a time when a lot of the aspects of movements discussed in this book could be reflected in The Black Lives Matter Movement, criticisms she faced about the kind of character an affluent, complex, behind the scenes yet very influential woman Mollie Moon was, how historical lenses and the way we view history changes, and the future of "movements" as they stand today within my generation. I enjoyed this book very much and recommended it to my mom who loves history and nuanced, female leads but also doesn't want to read a textbook. We only had to read a few chapter for class but I found myself reading the whole thing and enjoying every page!

[Dawn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[bookishciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The black elite will always fascinate me. I am intrigued with the life styles of old money and the golden age. But to learn more about the black side of money and black Americans building wealth and power in the name of revolution.

This book is specifically about Mollie Moon, who came from a poor family but was able to build an elite network of rich, wealthy, famous people, to become a major power player in raising money for black non profit organizations.

What this book really highlighted for me, was the narrative that people have and will continue to bring black women down publicly in order to gain money and fame for themselves. Because Mollie Moon was raising money for black people to have a better life but everyone was dragging her name through the mud publicly and getting money and power and position from it.

This book does a nice job of storytelling through the decades. And showing what life was like across social classes at the time period of the civil rights movement.

[Natalie Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. I can't imagine the amount of work it was to do all the research on this. I'd never heard of Mollie Moon before reading but was shocked to hear the names of all the celebrities I recognized who she worked with throughout her career. Even with a google search, information of Mollie is so limited. I like how this book put history into context and related to different events and people that I did know. This book serves to tell a part of history that went untold for many years. It also forced me to realize how little I really know about the civil rights era and african american history in general.

[Sherriece Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Matthew Guterl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Award winning historian Tanisha Ford examines how and why Mollie Moon - long dismissed as a mere socialite - raised millions of dollars for various Black Freedom movement organizations and causes by hosting galas, garden parties, fashion shows, and beauty pageants. “Movements cost money,” Tanisha Ford writes; Our Secret Society is about the consequential covering of that cost. A wonderful biography of a long-forgotten hero.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touted as an engrossing social history of the unsinkable Mollie Moon, I did not find this book engaging. I believe it was well researched, but the writing was flat, staccato sentences. I did not sense the excitement of the times, or the strong personalities of Mollie, her husband Henry Lee Moon, or the other people in the book.

I did listen to the book, and the narrator could have been the part of the problem. There wasn't a lot of inflection in her voice.

[Maisha Hoye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book from a historical perspective, feminist, and story. It inspired me to volunteer again with my alumni chapter.
It's amazing that Mollie's and probably countless other Women stories are lost in the fight for equality. We could accomplish so much if we checked our egos and prejudices at the door.

[CAROLYN G WYNN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book on one of the forgotten figures of the Civil Rights Movement. She was an activist and, in her own way, a feminist. It's a fundraising masterclass for those in the non-profit areas, an exploration of middle and upper middle class Blacks and highlight of contributions and complexity of women in the Movement.

[Myles Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The less known story of Mollie Moon’s activism highlights a humbling reality for Black liberation. It feels good to support grassroots efforts and guerrilla organizing leading to monumental change, but the reality is things cost money in our capitalist society!This is similar to politicians praising their small dollar donors, but realizing that money talks and you can’t win without SuperPACs and corporate sponsors. Mollie’s story also emphasizes why we should be careful before demeaning individuals who may not perfectly toe our dogmatic lines. Progress comes in many forms, including some that may make us uncomfortable. The reality is, the black civil rights movement strongly relied on the capital of imperfect white liberals who had access to funds and resources that our community was systematically locked out of. One of the many pitfalls of progressive movements is the purity test we often subject members to, putting inter group competition and ideology over the overall goal of progress. Mollie Moon’s activism can best be described as pragmatic. She focused her sights on progress and if progress required radical organizing she was willing to be that and serve on the front lines, but also she recognized that sometimes progress requires capital fundraising and spectacle and she was willing and able to provide that as well.

[Chanta Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mollie Moon!! Did not know much about Mollie Moon prior to this book. Glad I had the opportunity to get to know her via this well researched & detailed book. Mollie was a philanthropist, civil rights activist, pioneer, and overall force to be reckoned with. A major figure in the civil rights and Black arts movements. Sounds like a woman to know.

[Jordann Heckart · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads from 2024. Tanisha Ford effortlessly weaves together a biography of the lesser known Mollie Moon's philanthropy and grassroots fundraising with the National Urban League Guild into the larger context of fundraising for the civil rights movement. The Audible version with narrator, Allyson Johnson, enhanced the narrative.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided a unique lens into the fight for more equity for Black people in the United States, looking at the life and impact of one woman in particular, whose strengths were in organizing and fundraising, as well as the challenges she faced, including sexism within the circles where she worked. An informative book that presented a perspective I hadn't considered before.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There are no easy solutions for a nation that was built on the backs of enslaved black people”

[CindyGil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading about the various streams of influence surrounding the civil rights movement in America.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting telling of a facet of the civil rights movement. A part of me is sad that it seems so heavily beholden to the denizens of the New York/Harlem arena.

[pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent narrative history of an under explored aspect of the civil right movement. A page turner and I couldn’t wait to get back to it after responsibilities of life called me away from its pages.

[Tomasina Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend read!

[Laura Pawlick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this for class and it was actually very interesting. I like history but I’ve never been one for history books but the secret life history of Mollie Moon was captivating

[Toni Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much I didn't know. I enjoyed this very much.
My take away though, women are still in the same struggle decades later.

[Helena Brantley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happy to know about the life and times of Mollie Moon. If only more historians could write like this!