Bestselling Author Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs to Speak at 2026 Commencement Ceremony

A leading expert on race, gender, and equity, Tubbs holds a Ph.D. in sociology and a master's degree in multidisciplinary gender studies from the University of Cambridge, as well as a bachelor's degree in medical anthropology from Stanford University. Her work bridges academic research and public scholarship, translating complex ideas into clear, engaging stories for broad audiences.

Her first book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, was published in 2021 and was widely recognized as one of the year's most influential works. Her second book, Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us, was released in May 2025; and examines how the hierarchical system the founding fathers designed continues to impact our daily lives. Her writing has appeared in TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Guardian, and other major outlets, and her TED Talk has been viewed more than two million times.

Tubbs will be joined by three honorary degree recipients at this year's ceremony: Mike Curb, founder and chairman of Curb Records and president of the Mike Curb Foundation; Dr. Namandjé N. Bumpus '03, former FDA principal deputy commissioner and chief scientist and a leading pharmacologist; and Dr. Gloria Duffy '75, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Club and former deputy assistant secretary of defense under President Clinton. Bumpus and Duffy have both served on the Occidental College Board of Trustees.

Additional information about this year's Commencement ceremony is available on the College's Commencement website.