Queen Mother: Ashley D. Farmer in Conversation with Akinyele Omowale Umoja

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Register here. event takes place at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303. Doors open at 6pm. Event begins promptly at 6:30pm.

Charis and the Auburn Avenue Research Library welcome Ashley D. Farmerin conversation with Akinyele Omowale Umoja for a celebration of , the definitive biography of the mother of modern Black Nationalism and trailblazer in the fight for reparations.

In the world of Black radical politics, the name Audley Moore commands unquestioned respect. Across the nine decades of her life, Queen Mother Moore distinguished herself as a leading progenitor of Black Nationalism, the founder of the modern reparations movement, and, from her Philadelphia and Harlem homes, a mentor to some of America's most influential Black activists.
And yet, she is far less remembered than many of her peers and protégés—Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ahmad, to name just a few—and the ephemera of her life are either lost or plundered. In Queen Mother, celebrated writer and historian Ashley D. Farmer restores Moore's faded portrait, delivering the first ever definitive account of her life and enduring legacy.
Deeply researched and richly detailed, Queen Mother is more than just the biography of an American icon. It's a narrative history of 20th-century Black radicalism, told through the lens of the woman whose grit and determination sustained the movement.

About the author
Dr. Ashley D. Farmer is an Associate Professor in the Department of History & African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Her newest book,, is the first biography of one of the most influential yet understudied activists and thinkers of the 20th century. The book examines Audley Moore’s life and activism from 1898 to 1997 and reveals how she was an important but overlooked architect of the 20th century and the mother of the modern reparations movement.

Farmer’s first book, , is the first comprehensive study of black women’s intellectual production and activism in the Black Power era. Remaking Black Power was a finalist for the Stone Book Award and the runner-up for the Darlene Clark Hine Award from the Organization of American Historians. It was named to several must-read lists.

Dr. Farmer’s scholarship has appeared in numerous venues, including The Black Scholar and The Journal of African American History. Her research has also been featured in several popular outlets, including and . She has provided commentary on national and international media outlets like The New York Times and NPR. 

Numerous schools and foundations, including the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Whiting Foundation, have supported her research. 

Farmer is a co-editor of the published with NYU Press and the , published with UNC Press. Dr. Farmer earned a BA from Spelman College, an MA in History, and a PhD in African American Studies from Harvard University. Dr. Farmer lives in Austin, TX, and tweets from @drashleyfarmer.

About the conversation partner

Dr. Akinyele Omowale Umoja is an author, historian, and scholar-activist. Affectionately known as “Baba AK”, he is a Professor of Africana Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Umoja is the author of the award-winning book, (2013). We Will Shoot Back has been designated as a seminal book in the NYU Classics collection. Professor Umoja is co-editor, with renowned scholar-activists Gloria Aneb House and the late John H. Bracey, (UNC, 2025). Umoja also co-edited another prizewinning publication, the two-volume Black Power Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2018). His scholarship is featured in several other journals and anthologies, including editing a special issue of The Black Scholar (2018) on revolutionary activist, attorney, and Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Chokwe Lumumba and co-editing a special issue of the journal SOULS (2022) on the political legacy of activist health worker, freedom fighter, and political prisoner Dr. Mutulu Shakur. In addition, Professor Umoja has contributed to numerous documentaries, including the PBS Frontline “American Reckoning” (2022), HBO’s “Bastards of the Party” (2005), and BET’s “American Gangster” episode on Dr. Mutulu Shakur (2008). Dr. Umoja is also an internationally recognized scholar as he has presented his scholarship internationally in Germany, Spain, Haiti, and Venezuela, as well as is published in Spanish and German languages.

Dr. Umoja is well recognized within the national scholarly community evidenced by his position as a Board member of the National Council of Black Studies and his previous service on the Advisory Board of the journal The Black Scholar (2013 – 2020). The National Council of Black Studies (in 2008 and 2025) and the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (1998) acknowledged him for his activism and contribution to civic engagement. Umoja was also inducted into Selma, Alabama’s Hall of Resistance in the Enslavement and Civil War Museum during the city’s annual Bridge Crossing and Jubilee Celebration in 2016.

Baba Umoja is a co-founder of the New Afrikan People’s Organization (NAPO) and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM), both organizations committed to human rights, self-determination, and reparations of African descendants in the United States and internationally. Along with his wife, educator Aminata Umoja, he and other comrades organized and initiated Atlanta’s first Malcolm X Festival in 1989, now approaching its 37th year.

Our Partner

The (BAP) Atlanta Citywide Alliance is a people(s)-centered Human Rights project against war, repression, and imperialism.

About the venue:
Masks are encouraged but not required.
AARL has a free parking lot accessible via Courtland street. Please park and enter the library to get a guest pass for your dashboard before having a seat in the auditorium.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. Donate via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate.

Please contact us at [email protected] or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event.

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