Mothers for Justice and Equality Holds First In-Person Luncheon in Three Years

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Mothers for Justice and Equality held its first in-person Mother's Day luncheon in more than two years, gathering community members, city officials, and organizational staff at the nonprofit's new permanent Boston space. Mayor Michelle Wu and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who publicly confirmed his candidacy for Suffolk County District Attorney at the event, spoke alongside MJE CEO and President Mona Smith, who delivered a keynote drawn from Anna Malaika Tubbs's book "The Three Mothers." Smith argued that Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Baldwin — the mothers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, respectively — were deliberate omissions from American history: "Before this conversation that we're having today, did you know their names?" Wu connected the gathering to the city's ongoing fare-free bus pilot on Routes 23, 28, and 29, saying the strongest feedback from residents had been, "I finally feel like this city recognizes me." Smith announced plans to place a copy of the Tubbs book in the organization's newly named Eileen Adams Library on site.