Mahala Ashley Dickerson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mahala Ashley Dickerson
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| Born |
Mahala Ashley
October 12, 1912 |
| Died | February 19, 2007 (aged 94) Wasilla, Alaska, United States
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| Resting place | Wasilla, Alaska |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Fisk University; Howard University School of Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Dickerson (m. 1938–1939); Frank R. Beckwith (m. 1951–ca. 1958) |
| Children | Alfred Dickerson, John Dickerson, and Henri Christophe "Chris" Dickerson |
| Parent(s) | Hattie (Moss) and John Augustine Ashley |
| Awards | Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement honoree (1995) |
Mahala Ashley Dickerson (born October 12, 1912 – died February 19, 2007) was an amazing American lawyer. She was also a strong supporter of civil rights for women and minority groups.
Mahala Dickerson made history many times. In 1948, she became the first African American woman to become a lawyer in Alabama. A few years later, in 1951, she was the second African American woman to join the bar in Indiana. Then, in 1959, she became Alaska's very first African American lawyer!
Her work helped open doors for many other women lawyers. In 1983, she was the first African American person elected president of the National Association of Women Lawyers. The American Bar Association honored her in 1995 for her great achievements as a lawyer.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mahala Ashley was born in Montgomery County, Alabama, on October 12, 1912. Her parents were Hattie (Moss) and John Augustine Ashley. Her father owned a general store. She had two sisters, Erna and Harriette.
Mahala grew up in Alabama. She went to a private school called Montgomery Industrial School for Girls. There, she met Rosa Parks, who became her lifelong friend. Rosa Parks later became a famous civil rights activist.
In 1935, Mahala graduated with honors from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned a degree in sociology.
After her first marriage ended in 1939, Mahala decided to study law. She enrolled at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.. She graduated with honors in 1948. She was one of only four women in her graduating class.
Family Life
Mahala Ashley married Henry Dickerson in 1938. Their marriage ended the next year. They had triplet sons named Alfred, John, and Henri Christophe. Henri Christophe, also known as "Chris," later became a famous professional bodybuilder.
In 1951, Mahala Dickerson married Frank R. Beckwith, who was also a lawyer. She moved with her three sons to Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1958, her marriage to Beckwith ended, and she moved to Alaska. She and Frank Beckwith did not have children together.
Legal Career and Advocacy
Starting Her Law Practice
After law school, Mahala Dickerson returned to Alabama to practice law. In 1948, she became the first African American woman to be allowed to practice law in Alabama. She opened law offices in Montgomery and Tuskegee, Alabama. She worked there for three years.
In 1951, she moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. She became the second black woman to be admitted to the Indiana bar. Dickerson and her husband, Frank Beckwith, worked together for a year. Then, she opened her own law office in Indianapolis.
Fighting for Rights
Mahala Dickerson was very interested in helping with labor and civil rights issues. For example, in 1953, she asked the Public Service Commission to stop a transportation company from raising fares. She argued that the company was treating its bus drivers and trolley operators unfairly because of their race.
In 1958, she visited Alaska on vacation and decided to move there with her sons. She bought a large piece of land. She became the first African American lawyer in Alaska. She was also one of the few women practicing law in the state.
Mahala Dickerson opened her law practice in Anchorage in 1959. One of her most important cases was about equal pay. She represented a female professor at the University of Alaska. This professor was paid less than male professors for the same work. Dickerson initially lost the case, but the decision was changed on appeal in 1975. This case was one of the first to fight for equal pay for women professors in American universities.
Community Involvement
While in Indianapolis, Mahala Dickerson was active in many groups. These included the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the National Bar Association, and the NAACP. She also led the board of directors for the Marion County Colored Women's Republican Club.
Later Years and Legacy
Mahala Dickerson stayed active even in her later years. She continued to lead her law firm, Dickerson and Gibbons, in Alaska. She also started a charity called Al-Acres.
In 1983, she was elected the first black president of the National Association of Women Lawyers. In 1984, the University of Alaska gave her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. The American Bar Association also recognized her in 1995 for her work in civil rights and law.
Mahala Dickerson wrote a book about her life called Delayed Justice for Sale in 1998. She was known for helping people who were poor or treated unfairly. She once told a newspaper, "Whenever there's somebody being mistreated, if they want me, I'll help them." She continued to practice law in Alaska until she was in her early nineties, just a few years before she passed away.
Death and Impact
Mahala Dickerson passed away in Wasilla, Alaska, on February 19, 2007. She was ninety-four years old. She is buried in a cemetery she created on her own property in Alaska.
Mahala Dickerson's life had a huge impact. She was the first black female lawyer in Alabama (1948), the second black woman lawyer in Indiana (1951), and Alaska's first black lawyer (1959). She was also the first black president of the National Association of Women Lawyers (1983). With over fifty years of legal experience, she paved the way for many other women in law.
Her work on equal pay cases for women university professors was groundbreaking. In 1995, the American Bar Association honored her with the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement award. This award has also been given to famous U.S. Supreme Court Justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor. Mahala Dickerson's important papers are kept at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Honors and Awards
- The University of Alaska gave her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1994.
- The American Bar Association named her a Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement honoree in 1995.
Published Works
- Delayed Justice for Sale (1998), her life story
- "Jet-Propelled into the Law: Mahala Ashley Dickerson" (1998), a profile in the book Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers
See also
- List of first women lawyers and judges in Alaska
