Dicke so
had
built
a
ca ee
that
i cluded
seve al
otable
fi sts.
(A cho age
museum
photo)
Ame ica
lawye
a d
civil
ights
advocate
Mahala
Ashley
Dicke so ’s
life
took
he
f om
Mo tgome y,
Alabama,
to
Alaska,
whe e
she
b oke
ba ie s
i
both
the
legal
p ofessio
a d
homesteadi g.
He
jou ey
has
bee
featu ed
by
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
amo g
impo ta t
figu es
i
Black
histo y.Bo
i
Mo tgome y
i
1912,
Dicke so
g ew
up
i
the
Ame ica
South
befo e
g aduati g
f om
Te essee’s
Fisk
U ive sity
i
1935.
She
late
ea ed
he
law
deg ee
f om
Howa d
U ive sity
School
of
Law
i
Washi gto ,
DC,
i
1945.Afte
completi g
he
legal
educatio ,
Dicke so
etu ed
to
Alabama.
I
1948,
she
became
the
fi st
Black
female
lawye
i
the
state.
She
spe t
the
ext
six
decades
wo ki g
i
the
legal
p ofessio
a d
became
k ow
fo
ep ese ti g
people
who
faced
disc imi atio .
He
ca ee
late
took
he
to
I dia a
a d
the ,
u expectedly,
to
Alaska.Dicke so
moved
to
I dia a
i
1951
afte
p actisi g
law
i
Alabama
fo
th ee
yea s.
The e,
she
became
o ly
the
seco d
Black
woma
admitted
to
the
ba
i
the
state.
But
he
life
cha ged
seve al
yea s
late
afte
she
t avelled
to
Alaska
o
holiday.
She
was
d aw
to
the
state’s
la dscape
a d
atu al
beauty
a d
eve tually
decided
to
move
the e.I
1958,
Dicke so
filed
a
claim
fo
a
160-ac e
homestead
i
the
Mata uska-Susit a
Valley
ea
Wasilla.
By
doi g
so,
she
became
Alaska’s
fi st
Black
homesteade .
A
few
mo ths
late ,
she
passed
the
Alaska
Ba
exam
a d
became
the
fi st
Black
lawye
i
Alaska,
addi g
a othe
milesto e
to
a
ca ee
al eady
ma ked
by
ba ie s
she
had
ove come.
Buildi g
ca ee
i
Alaska
Dicke so
co ti ued
to
face
disc imi atio
i
Alaska,
just
as
she
had
elsewhe e.
Howeve ,
she
chose
to
stay
a d
established
law
offices
i
Wasilla
a d
A cho age.
She
became
k ow
fo
the
st o g
defe ce
she
offe ed
to
he
clie ts
a d
fo
he
willi g ess
to
take
o
difficult
cases.Desc ibi g
he
app oach
to
the
legal
p ofessio ,
Dicke so
o ce
said,
“My
zeal
was
ofte
ese ted
by
opposi g
cou sel.
I
had
o
fea
of
the
othe
atto ey
a d
ofte
i cu ed
his
w ath.”He
dete mi atio
also
shaped
some
of
the
cases
she
took
o .
O e
of
he
most
otable
t ials
i volved
female
faculty
membe s
at
the
U ive sity
of
Alaska.
The
wome
we e
eceivi g
lowe
wages
tha
thei
male
cou te pa ts.
Dicke so
wo
the
case,
c eati g
a
p ecede t
fo
the
female
faculty
membe s.He
wo k
b ought
ecog itio
beyo d
Alaska.
Dicke so
held
seve al
impo ta t
positio s
a d
eceived
a
umbe
of
ho ou s
du i g
he
lo g
legal
ca ee .
F om
1983
to
1984,
she
se ved
as
p eside t
of
the
Natio al
Associatio
of
Wome
Lawye s.
Dicke so
was
a
lo gtime
f ie d
of
lege da y
civil
ights
activist,
Rosa
Pa ks
(NPS
photo)
A
t ailblaze
I
1985,
Dicke so
eceived
the
Zeta
Phi
Beta
Awa d
fo
disti guished
se vice
i
the
field
of
law.
A
decade
late ,
she
eceived
o e
of
the
most
otable
ho ou s
of
he
ca ee .I
1995,
the
Ame ica
Ba
Associatio
awa ded
Dicke so
the
Ma ga et
B e t
Awa d.
The
awa d
ecog ised
outsta di g
Ame ica
female
lawye s.
Dicke so
spoke
about
the
achieveme t
with
the
co fide ce
that
had
ma ked
much
of
he
ca ee .
“Ruth
Bade
Gi sbu g
got
he s
befo e
me,
but
I
got
mi e
befo e
Sa d a
Day
O’Co o ,”
she
said..
‘Not
af aid
to
fight
somebody
big’
She
also
docume ted
he
expe ie ces
a d
views
i
a
autobiog aphy.
I
1998,
she
published
Delayed
Justice
fo
Sale,
givi g
eade s
a othe
accou t
of
he
life
a d
ca ee .I
he
autobiog aphy,
Dicke so
eflected
o
the
challe ges
she
had
faced
a d
the
dete mi atio
that
had
d ive
he
th oughout
he
life.“I
my
life,
I
did ’t
have
but
two
thi gs
to
do.
Those
we e
to
stay
black
a d
die.
I’m
just
ot
af aid
to
fight
somebody
big,”
she
w ote.The
stateme t
captu ed
the
attitude
that
had
defi ed
he
legal
ca ee .
F om
becomi g
Alabama’s
fi st
Black
female
lawye
to
becomi g
the
fi st
Black
lawye
i
Alaska,
Dicke so
epeatedly
e te ed
p ofessio s
a d
places
whe e
she
had
to
ove come
disc imi atio .
She
died
i
2007
at
the
age
of
94.