Maude Ballou facts for kids

Maude Lerita Williams Ballou (September 13, 1925 – August 26, 2019) was an important American civil rights activist. She was a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and worked as his personal secretary. Maude Ballou played a key role behind the scenes during the Civil Rights Movement.

Maude Ballou's Early Life

Maude Ballou was born in Fairhope, Alabama, on September 13, 1925. She grew up in Mobile, Alabama. Maude went to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She earned a degree in business in 1947.

Maude married Leonard Ballou, a music teacher. Leonard was a friend of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1952, Maude and Leonard moved to Montgomery, Alabama. Maude worked as a program director at the first Black radio station there. Leonard taught music at Alabama State University. The Ballous and the Kings often visited each other. Maude and Leonard had four children.

Working for Civil Rights

In 1955, Maude Ballou became Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal secretary. She helped him with many tasks. Maude said she "booked flights, research, writing. I did it all." She even helped edit early versions of King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. King gave this speech in churches across the South.

In his book, Stride Toward Freedom, King thanked Maude. He wrote that she "continually encouraged me to persevere in this work." This shows how important her support was to him.

Maude Ballou faced threats because of her work. In 1957, her name was on a list of people who might be attacked. This list was made by the Montgomery Improvement Association. She told The Washington Post about a man who threatened her children. He told her to stop working for civil rights. Maude said, "That really shook me. But it didn't stop me."

Maude continued to work with King even after he moved to Atlanta in 1960. She lived with the King family for a while. Later, she joined her husband and children in Petersburg, Virginia. Her husband, Leonard, worked at Virginia State University.

A historian named David Garrow studied the Civil Rights era. He said that Maude Ballou was very important to King's work. He noted that "up to 85 percent of the signatures are in Maude’s hand." This means she handled a lot of King's official papers. She was the main person King relied on to get things done.

Maude Ballou's Later Life

After her work with Dr. King, Maude Ballou moved to North Carolina. She worked there for many years. She was a teacher in middle and high schools. She also worked as an administrator at a college.