Mary-Louise Hooper facts for kids

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Mary-Louise Hooper (March 2, 1907 – August 14, 1987) was a wealthy American heiress who became a strong activist. She fought for civil rights and against apartheid (a system of racial separation) in South Africa. In 1957, she was briefly jailed in Johannesburg and then forced to leave South Africa. Her case became well-known in both South Africa and the United States.

Mary-Louise Hooper was the first white person to join the African National Congress (ANC), a group fighting for equal rights in South Africa. The ANC leaders called her "one of our number" and a "leading worker" for freedom. She was also a delegate for the ANC at the first All-African Peoples' Conference in Accra, Ghana in 1958. Later, she was an observer at the third conference in Cairo, Egypt in 1961. Hooper was also active in the NAACP, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and the American Committee on Africa (ACOA). From 1964 to 1968, she edited the South African Bulletin, a publication about the anti-apartheid movement.

Mary-Louise Hooper's Early Life and Education

Mary-Louise Fitkin was born on March 2, 1907, in Swampscott, Massachusetts. Her mother, Susan Norris Fitkin, was a pastor and founded the Nazarene Women's Missionary Society. Her father, Abram Edward Fitkin, was a businessman. Mary-Louise had three brothers.

From a young age, Mary-Louise attended the Church of the Nazarene with her family. Her family moved to Brooklyn, New York, because of her father's business. In 1919, when she was 12, Mary-Louise organized the "Do for Others Club." This group helped people suffering from famine in India.

Mary-Louise attended Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn. After graduating, she studied at Stanford University for one year until 1928.

Mary-Louise Hooper's Personal Journey

Mary-Louise Fitkin was married three times and had one daughter, Suzanne Mary Salsbury.

First Marriage: Esley Foster Salsbury (1927-1938)

In 1926, Mary-Louise traveled to Europe with her mother. She spoke at a youth convention in Scotland. On June 14, 1927, Mary-Louise married Esley Foster Salsbury in Allenhurst, New Jersey. He was a naturalized US citizen from Canada.

In 1928, Mary-Louise traveled with her mother on a missionary trip to Mexico. By 1930, the Salsburys lived in Oakland, California. Esley Foster Salsbury worked for a company controlled by Mary-Louise's father.

On December 7, 1933, their only child, Suzanne Mary Salsbury, was born in Berkeley, California. In 1935, Mary-Louise joined her mother on another mission trip to Latin America. She helped organize a Young Woman's Missionary Society in Guatemala. She also wrote a booklet about their trip called Other Americas.

During the Great Depression, Esley Foster Salsbury helped invent the Salsbury Motor Glide, a small scooter. The Salsburys divorced by August 1938. After the divorce, Mary-Louise and Suzanne traveled to Germany.

Second Marriage: Karl Josef Deissler (1938-1946)

By August 1938, Mary-Louise married Dr. Karl Josef Deissler, a German doctor. He had moved to the USA in 1931 because of his liberal ideas and fears of the Nazis. They lived in Piedmont, California.

In 1940, Mary-Louise traveled with her mother to Hawaii for her mother's health. During World War II, Dr. Deissler faced restrictions as a German citizen. Mary-Louise and Suzanne lived in Illinois for a time. The Deisslers divorced in 1946. Mary-Louise and Suzanne then moved to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Third Marriage: Clifford Ison Hooper, Sr. (1947-1949)

On December 26, 1947, Mary-Louise married Clifford Ison Hooper, Sr. He was an African American widower with two sons. They met while campaigning for the NAACP. They married in Seattle, Washington, because it was one of the few states that allowed marriages between people of different races. However, they separated after a year and divorced in 1949.

By June 1950, Mary-Louise became a Quaker. She lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Her daughter, Suzanne, married artist Lloyd David Cogley and had five sons. In 1951, Mary-Louise's mother passed away.

In 1953, Hooper returned to Stanford University and graduated with high honors in German in 1955. She was also elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Mary-Louise Hooper's Civil Rights Work

Mary-Louise Hooper strongly believed in fighting racial injustice everywhere. She said, "the Freedom Struggle is one - Mississippi, South Africa." Before 1955, she worked with groups like the Council for Civic Unity and the NAACP to end discrimination in California.

Fighting Apartheid in South Africa

Mary-Louise Hooper was a lifelong member of the NAACP. She actively supported African struggles against colonialism (when one country controls another) and apartheid. After visiting South Africa in 1955, she moved there and bought a home in Durban, South Africa. She supported the African National Congress (ANC) and was known as the only white person to work directly within the ANC.

Hooper was like a "fairy godmother" to the ANC. She provided financial help, transportation, and hosted secret meetings in her home. She also helped those who were on trial during the Treason Trial in South Africa.

Arrest and Deportation (1957)

On March 10, 1957, Mary-Louise Hooper was arrested and held for five days in the Fort Prison in Johannesburg. Even though she had a permanent visa, she was accused of helping Black South Africans. The government ordered her deportation. She was freed by the Rand Supreme Court and later received money for damages, which she donated to the ANC. However, the Interior Minister ordered her deportation again, saying her presence was not in the public interest. She left South Africa in May 1957 and was not allowed to return.

All-African Peoples' Conferences (1958-1961)

After leaving South Africa, Hooper continued her work. She was one of three official delegates for the Africa National Congress at the first All-African Peoples' Conference in Accra, Ghana in December 1958. She was also a delegate at the second conference in Tunis, Tunisia in 1960. In 1961, she was one of only two American observers at the third conference in Cairo, Egypt. By 1961, Hooper had visited 24 African countries, meeting leaders like President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Chief Luthuli of South Africa.

Activism in California (1957-1964)

After returning to the USA in May 1957, Hooper settled in San Francisco. She continued to oppose apartheid. By 1958, she became the unpaid West Coast Representative for the American Committee on Africa (ACOA). She also directed ACOA's South Africa Program.

Hooper gave many interviews on radio and television. She raised funds for the South African Defense Fund, which paid for legal defense and supported families of political prisoners. By mid-1960, she had helped raise a large amount of money for the fund.

She often spoke about "Human Rights in South Africa" to churches and community groups. In a 1958 speech, she stated that South Africa was "the sorest spot on earth in regard to the color problem." She explained that people were treated differently based on their skin color in all parts of life.

In 1962, Hooper organized a picket in San Francisco. This protest targeted a Dutch ship carrying goods from South Africa. The goal was to highlight racial discrimination and encourage the USA to join a United Nations boycott of South African goods.

Activism in New York (1964-1967)

In late 1964, Hooper moved to New York City. She volunteered full-time as ACOA's Program Director for South Africa. She also spoke before the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.

Hooper wrote many articles about Africa and apartheid. From 1964 to 1968, she edited the South African Bulletin, published by ACOA.

In December 1965, Hooper organized a benefit concert in New York City. It featured musicians Pete Seeger and Miriam Makeba. She also convinced Martin Luther King Jr. to speak. King gave his first major speech on South Africa, comparing apartheid to Nazi Germany. He called for economic actions against South Africa.

In 1966, Hooper helped start the "Declaration of American Artists Against Apartheid." This declaration aimed to stop cultural exchanges with the apartheid government. Sixty-five artists signed it, including Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, and Miriam Makeba.

Hooper also helped organize the Committee of Conscience Against Apartheid. This group urged American banks not to lend money to South Africa. In December 1966, they reported that over $23 million had been withdrawn from banks in protest.

In May 1967, Hooper testified before a committee of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Other Civil Rights Activities

Hooper also supported the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) in its fight for Algeria's independence from France. She wrote about Algerian students who were refugees in 1960.

During the Angolan War of Independence, Hooper raised awareness and funds for refugees from Angola. She spoke about their struggles and presented a documentary about the war.

Later Years and Death

In 1981, Mary-Louise moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon. She wanted to be closer to her daughter and grandsons. Mary-Louise Hooper passed away in Klamath Falls on August 14, 1987. ```