Mary Louise Smith (activist) facts for kids
Mary Louise Ware (born Smith in 1937) is an African-American civil rights activist. In October 1955, when she was 18, she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama. She refused to give up her seat on a bus that had separate sections for different races. She was one of several women arrested for this before Rosa Parks that year. Rosa Parks became a key figure for the Montgomery bus boycott, which started on December 5, 1955.
On February 1, 1956, Mary Louise Smith was one of five women who filed a federal lawsuit. This case, called Browder v. Gayle, challenged the unfair bus segregation laws. On June 13, 1956, a group of judges ruled that these laws were against the U.S. Constitution. The United States Supreme Court agreed with this decision on November 13. They refused to change their minds in December. On December 20, 1956, the Supreme Court ordered Alabama to end bus segregation. This important decision ended the Montgomery bus boycott.
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Early Life and Her Stand
Mary Louise Smith was born in Montgomery, Alabama. She grew up in a Catholic family. She and her brothers and sisters all went to and finished school at St. Jude Educational Institute. She was also a member of St. Jude's Church.
On October 21, 1955, when she was 18, Smith was riding a city bus in Montgomery. She was told to give her seat to a white passenger who had just gotten on the bus. She bravely refused to move. Because of this, she was arrested. She was charged with not following the segregation rules. This happened about 40 days before Rosa Parks was arrested for a similar reason. Smith was fined $12.
Later, lawyer Fred Gray asked Smith and her father to join a lawsuit. This lawsuit aimed to end segregated seating on city buses for good.
The Important Lawsuit: Browder v. Gayle
On February 1, 1956, Fred Gray and other lawyers started a lawsuit called Browder v. Gayle. This case went to the United States District Court. It challenged the state and local laws that made buses segregated. Mary Louise Smith was one of five women who were part of this lawsuit. The other women were Aurelia Browder, Claudette Colvin, Susie McDonald, and Jeanetta Reese. (Jeanetta Reese later left the case because she was scared.)
The women, except for Reese, spoke in front of three judges. On June 13, 1956, the court decided that the segregation laws were unconstitutional. This meant they went against the idea of equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The city and state disagreed with this ruling and took the case to the United States Supreme Court. But on November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court agreed with the lower court's decision. On December 17, the Supreme Court said no to another request from the city and state to rethink the case. Finally, on December 20, the Supreme Court ordered Alabama to end segregation on its buses. This big victory successfully ended the Montgomery bus boycott.
Life After the Boycott
Not much is known about Mary Louise Smith's personal life after the boycott. She married Mr. Ware and they had children together.
Smith continued to follow the civil rights movement. She attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
In 1969, Smith and her sister allowed their sons to be part of another lawsuit. This case was against the Montgomery YMCA. It said the YMCA was not letting their children join its summer camp program because of their race. In 1972, the U.S. District Court ruled in their favor. This decision ended segregation at the YMCA. It also got rid of any remaining segregation rules in the city.
Today, Mary Louise Smith Ware is active with her 12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She still lives in Montgomery, Alabama. Her older sister lives across the street from her.
When Rosa Parks passed away in October 2005, Mary Louise Smith Ware, who was 68 at the time, went to the memorial service in Montgomery. She said, "I had to pay my tribute to her, she was our role model."
Honoring Mary Louise Ware
- Rita Dove, a famous American poet, mentions Mary Louise Smith in her poem "The Enactment." This poem is in her book, On the Bus with Rosa Parks (1999).
- In 2019, a statue of Rosa Parks was revealed in Montgomery, Alabama. On the same day, four granite markers were also revealed near the statue. These markers honored four women who were part of the Browder v. Gayle lawsuit, including Mary Louise Smith. Smith was there for the unveiling ceremony.
- In 2023, Mary Louise Smith received her own historical marker in Montgomery. This marker honors her brave actions.
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