Mary-Louise Hooper
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Mary-Louise Hooper (March 2, 1907 – August 14, 1987) was a wealthy American heiress and activist in the
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
and
anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...
. She served a brief imprisonment in
Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
and subsequent exclusion from South Africa in 1957 and became a ''
cause célèbre A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...
'' both in South Africa and the United States. Hooper was the first white member of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
, and was described by its National Executive as "one of our number, and a leading worker in the struggle for freedom and democracy", and was one of the ANC's three delegates to the first
All-African Peoples' Conference The All-African Peoples Conference (AAPC) was partly a corollary and partly a different perspective to the modern Africa states represented by the Conference of Heads of independent Africa States. The All-Africa Peoples Conference was conceived to ...
in December 1958 in
Accra, Ghana Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
, and one of only two American observers at the Third All-African Peoples' Conference in
Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
in March 1961. Hooper was also active in the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
, the
American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (''Quaker'') founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by Am ...
(AFSC), and was the West Coast representative of the
American Committee on Africa American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
(ACOA) from 1962 until about 1969. Hooper was the editor of the ''South African Bulletin'' from 1964 to 1968.


Early life and education

Mary-Louise Fitkin was born on March 2, 1907, in
Swampscott, Massachusetts Swampscott () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located up the coast from Boston in an area known as the North Shore. The population was 15,111 as of the 2020 United States Census. A former summer resort on Massachusetts Ba ...
,Ancestry.com. ''Oregon Death Index, 1903-98''. County: Klamath Death Date: 14 Aug 1987 Certificate: 87-15495.Basil Miller, ''Susan N. Fitkin: For God and Missions''. Digital ed. (Holiness Data Ministry, 2006):41, http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/2601-2700/HDM2627.pdf the only daughter and second oldest child of Susan Norris Fitkin (born March 31, 1870, in
Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formal ...
,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada; died October 18, 1951, in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
),"Veteran Missions Head, Rev. Susan Fitkin, Dies", ''The Sun'' (Baltimore, MD) (October 20, 1951):9. an ordained pastor in the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene, and later the founding president of the Nazarene Women's Missionary Society (now Nazarene Mission International), and Abram Edward Fitkin (born on September 18, 1878, in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
; died on March 18, 1933, in
Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
), a former evangelist and pastor who had become a businessman. Mary-Louise had three brothers: Abram Raleigh Fitkin (born September 3, 1904, in
Everett, Massachusetts Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, directly north of Boston, bordering the neighborhood of Charlestown. The population was 49,075 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Everett was the last city in the Un ...
; died September 7, 1914); Willis Carradine "Bud" Fitkin (born October 10, 1908, in
Hollis, New York Hollis is a residential middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of Hispanics and South Asians residing in the a ...
; died November 8, 1980, in
Meredith, New Hampshire Meredith is a New England town, town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,662 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Meredith is situated in the state's Lakes Region (New Hamp ...
); and Ralph MacFarland Fitkin (March 7, 1912 - July 16, 1962). died on July 16, 1962, in Dade County, Florida. From infancy Mary-Louise attended the
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members co ...
with her family. By the end of 1907 Mary-Louise Fitkin, her parents, and brother, Raleigh, moved to Brooklyn because of her father's increased business activities.Basil Miller, ''Susan N. Fitkin: For God and Missions''. Digital ed. (Holiness Data Ministry, 2006):42, http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/2601-2700/HDM2627.pdf In 1907 the Fitkin family attended the John Wesley Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene located at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Sumpter Street, Brooklyn, then pastored by
William Howard Hoople William Howard Hoople (August 6, 1868 – September 29, 1922) was an American businessman and religious figure. He was a prominent leader of the American Holiness movement; the co-founder of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of Americ ...
. Her younger brother, Willis Carradine Fitkin, named in honor of holiness evangelist
Beverly Carradine Beverly Francis Carradine (April 4, 1848 – April 22, 1931) was an American Methodist minister and a leading evangelist for the holiness movement. He was a productive author, writing primarily on the subject of sanctification. The patriarch of ...
, was born on October 10, 1908, in
Hollis, Queens Hollis is a residential middle class, middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of Hispa ...
By April 1910 the Fitkins lived in their own home on Wallis Avenue,
Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...
. While living here, her youngest brother, Ralph MacFarland Fitkin was born on March 7, 1912. On September 14, 1914, Raleigh died of complications after surgery for a car accident. In December, 1919, Mary-Louise Fitkin organized the Do for Others Club, a boys' and girls' group for the Church of the Nazarene, whose purpose was to do whatever possible for the famine sufferers of India. By January 1920 the Fitkin family resided at 271 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn. By December 1926 the Fitkin family lived at 8 Remsen Street,
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.>Ancestry.com. ''New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957''. Year: 1926; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_3923; Line: 27; Page Number: 58. Mary-Louise Fitkin attended
Adelphi Academy Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher edu ...
at Lafayette Avenue, St. James Place and Clifton Place, Brooklyn, New York, and after graduation, she studied at
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
for one year until June 1928."3 College Girls Have 171 Years Total", ''Greensburg Daily Tribune'' (June 30, 1955):19.


Personal life

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


Esley Foster Salsbury (1927-1938)

On July 7, 1926, Mary-Louise accompanied her mother, Susan Norris Fitkin, on her first overseas trip as General President of the Nazarene Women's Missionary Society, which was a two-month tour of the British Isles and various European countries, including France; Switzerland; Austria; Germany; and Italy.Basil Miller, ''Susan N. Fitkin: For God and Missions''. Digital ed. (Holiness Data Ministry, 2006):69ff, http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/2601-2700/HDM2627.pdf Mary-Louise and her mother sailed from New York to
Southampton, England Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Por ...
, on the ''
RMS Aquitania RMS ''Aquitania'' was a British ocean liner of the Cunard Line in service from 1914 to 1950. She was designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her mai ...
''. While in Scotland, Mary-Louise spoke at the inaugural District Nazarene Young People's Society Convention in the British Isles. They departed
Cherbourg, France Cherbourg-Octeville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.
, for New York on the ''Aquitania'' on September 14, 1926. At noon on June 14, 1927, Mary-Louise married Esley Foster Salsbury (born August 28, 1907, in
Elgin, Manitoba Elgin is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in the Municipality of Grassland in the Canadian province of Manitoba, Canada. It currently has a population of just over 100. Major attractions The Elgin and District Hi ...
, Canada; died June 13, 1993, in Los Angeles, California), who had become a naturalized US citizen on May 13, 1926,Ancestry.com. ''Honolulu, Hawaii, Passenger Lists, 1900-1953''. Repository Name:National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); NARA Series:A3422; Roll:104. at "Milestones", the family summer home at 16-18 Corlies Avenue,
Allenhurst, New Jersey Allenhurst is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, named for resident Abner Allen and incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 26, 1897, from portions of Ocean Township. As of the 201 ...
, in a ceremony conducted by Rev. Chauncey David Norris (born July 23, 1884, in West Berkshire, Vermont; died January 16, 1961, in
Dundee, Oregon Dundee is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The population was 3,162 at the 2010 census. History The first post office in the area was Ekins, established in 1881. Dundee is named in honor of the birthplace of William Reid, Dundee ...
), a cousin of her mother, who was at that time pastor of the
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members co ...
at
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. In early December, 1928, Mary-Louise Salsbury accompanied her mother on her second missionary tour to Mexico. By August 1929 the Salsburys lived at 1928 Montgomery Street, Berkeley, California. On August 30, 1929, the Salsburys departed San Francisco for a cruise to
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
on the '' SS President Jefferson'', and returned to
Wilmington, Los Angeles Wilmington is a neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high percentage of La ...
on the '' SS City of Los Angeles'' on September 27, 1929. By April 1930 the Salsburys lived with Susan Norris Fitkin in her four-bedroom home (built in 1927) at 894 Longridge Road,
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. By 1931 E. Foster Salsbury was a vice-president and director of Pacific Freight Lines Corporation, Ltd., which was controlled by his father-in-law
Abram Fitkin Abram Edward Fitkin (September 18, 1878 – March 18, 1933) was an American minister, investment banker, businessman, public utilities operator, and philanthropist, who founded and ran dozens of companies, including A.E. Fitkin & Co.; the Nationa ...
's American Utilities. After a lengthy illness, Hooper's father
Abram Fitkin Abram Edward Fitkin (September 18, 1878 – March 18, 1933) was an American minister, investment banker, businessman, public utilities operator, and philanthropist, who founded and ran dozens of companies, including A.E. Fitkin & Co.; the Nationa ...
died on Saturday, March 18, 1933, in his apartment at the
Savoy-Plaza Hotel The Savoy-Plaza Hotel was a 33-story hotel overlooking Central Park at Fifth Avenue and East 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1927 and was demolished in 1965. History Original Savoy Hotel The original Savoy Hotel at ...
Fitkin left an estate estimated at $250,000,000. This is . On December 7, 1933, the Salsburys' only child, Suzanne Mary Salsbury was born in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
.Ancestry.com. ''New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957''. Year: 1938; Arrival: New York , United States; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_6196; Line: 26; Page Number: 84."Suzanne Cogley", In early October, 1935, Mary-Louise accompanied her mother on a mission trip to
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
via the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
, and included visits to
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
,
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
,
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
, and
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. While in
Cobán Cobán ( kek, Kob'an), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guat ...
, Mary-Louise organized the first Young Woman's Missionary Society at the Nazarene Girls' School. Mary-Louise Salsbury wrote the story of this visit in a booklet, entitled ''Other Americas'', published at her mother's expense with the proceeds going to the W.F.M.S. They returned to Los Angeles on November 11, 1935, after a six-day voyage in first class on the ''Santa Elena'' from San José, Guatemala. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, E. Foster Salsbury, then living in
Orinda, California Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city's population as of the 2020 census is estimated at 19,514 residents. History Orinda is located within four Mexican land grants: Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados ...
, had a vision for "a cheap and cheerful vehicle that would propel the country forward to prosperous times", and with Austin Elmore invented the Salsbury Motor Glide,."Classic: Salsbury 1949", ''American Motorcyclist'' (April 1995):103. a small scooter built initially in the back of a plumbing and heating shop in Oakland, California. Salsbury applied for a US patent for the Motor Glide in April 1936. The Salsbury Motor Corporation continued manufacturing motor scooters in
Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
, until 1951., Foster Salsbury also invented a mobile
commode A commode is any of many pieces of furniture. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has multiple meanings of "commode". The first relevant definition reads: "A piece of furniture with drawers and shelves; in the bedroom, a sort of elaborate chest ...
in 1936. By August 1938 the Salsburys divorced, with Foster Salsbury marrying Florence Johnson Fleming, a widow with two children, who was also the sister of William E. Johnson Jr. In 1938 Mary-Louise and Suzanne travelled to Germany.


Karl Josef Deissler (1938-1946)

By August 1938 Mary-Louise had married Dr. Karl Josef Deissler (born June 29, 1906, in
Heidelberg, Germany Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
; died August 15, 1998, in
Bern, Switzerland german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...
), a German physician,Ancestry.com. ''New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957''. Year: 1931; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_5042; Line: 1; Page Number: 38. who graduated from the
University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
, who had fled Germany for the USA in September 1931 because of his liberal ideas and fears of Nazi persecution, and had been a fellow of the
Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...
from 1931 to 1935. By November 1935 Dr. Deissler was practising as a physician in the Wakefield Building at 426 17th Street,
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. By August 1938 the Deisslers resided in a five-bedroom home built in 1937 at 50 Sotelo Avenue,
Piedmont, California Piedmont is a small city located in Alameda County, California, United States, completely surrounded by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 11,270 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the region of Piedmont in Italy, and it me ...
, "an
isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...
of white wealth", and the "city of millionaires", where the Deisslers would live together until at least August 1942. When her mother needed to visit the
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
in April 1940 due to her ill health, Mary-Louise was again her travel companion, travelling first class on the '' SS Matsonia'' from San Francisco to Honolulu on April 19, 1940. When Dr. Deissler was excluded from the US western defense area on September 4, 1942, until November 17, 1943, as an
enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and ...
, Mary-Louise and her daughter lived in Illinois. In November 1944 Dr. Deissler resided at the home of his mother-in-law, 894 Longridge Road, Oakland, however Mary-Louise was not registered as living there at that time. The Deisslers divorced in 1946, and Mary-Louise and Suzanne moved to
Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...
. Dr. Deissler married Dorothea D. Bickel (born about 1914) on December 29, 1947, in
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, had two children, Erika (born February 28, 1947, in San Francisco), and Karl Peter (born July 30, 1948, in San Francisco; died November 22, 1966, in
Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...
), and divorced on October 1, 1962. The Deisslers lived in
Orinda, California Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city's population as of the 2020 census is estimated at 19,514 residents. History Orinda is located within four Mexican land grants: Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados ...
, in a home they bought from the noted psychoanalyst
Erik Erikson Erik Homburger Erikson (born Erik Salomonsen; 15 June 1902 – 12 May 1994) was a German-American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychological development of human beings. He coined the phrase identity cr ...
.


Clifford Ison Hooper, Sr. (1947-1949)

On December 26, 1947, Mary-Louise married Clifford Ison "Cliff" Hooper, Sr., (born November 19, 1917, in Evansville, Indiana; died July 10, 2001, in Seattle, Washington), an
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
widower with two infant sons, whom she had met while campaigning for the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
, in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
. Hooper, a former journalist and circulation manager with the ''Evansville Argus'', the "city's only African American newspaper" that operated from June 1938 to October 1943; who had served in
Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
in Indiana from 1935 to 1940, rising to the rank of Field Leader and First Sergeant; and had served in the US Army from June 1941, eventually being promoted to the rank of captain during World War II after postings in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Ireland, and California. They married in Seattle, as Washington was one of the few states without
Anti-miscegenation laws Anti-miscegenation laws or miscegenation laws are laws that enforce racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by criminalization, criminalizing interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of different R ...
that banned inter-racial marriages. However, after a year of marriage, the Hoopers separated and were divorced in 1949. Cliff Hooper later became an artist, an activist, and a community leader, who co-founded the Negro Voters League, "a radical organization dedicated to the black power cause", and also promoted the black power agenda by being a co-editor and writing a column for the ''Afro American Journal'', a local publication that served the black community. In 1970 his book"Black father black faith", a "meditation on racism in American society" was published, and by 1986 he wrote "A Black View of US American History" that "focused on racism and anti-Black legislation throughout American history". By June 1950 Mary Louise had become a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
, and had moved to
Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...
,Ancestry.com. ''New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957''. Year: 1952; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_8213; Line: 14; Page Number: 318. where her daughter, Suzanne, attended the
California College of Arts and Crafts California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
in Berkeley, California, and in December 1950 married artist Lloyd David Cogley (born March 5, 1917, in San Francisco; died February 2, 1992, in Klamath Falls), and they subsequently had five sons. On October 18, 1951, Hooper's mother, Susan Norris Fitkin died in Oakland. In September 1952 Hooper returned to New York after sailing from
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
on the '' SS Nieuw Amsterdam''. Hooper returned to
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in 1953 to complete her degree, majoring in German, graduating with ''summa cum laude'' honors in June 1955. In May 1956 Hooper was elected to membership of the Stanford chapter of
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
.Letter from Ethel Ray Nance to W. E. B. and Shirley Du Bois (June 7, 1956): http://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b145-i292


Civil rights activities

Mary-Louise Hooper was committed to opposing racial injustice wherever she found it, saying: "the Freedom Struggle is one - Mississippi, South Africa." Before 1955 Hooper was "involved in interracial work in California" with the
Council for Civic Unity A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
(CCU), "the premier interracial organization working against discrimination in San Francisco,
hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called ''pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally '' ...
aim was to end discrimination in housing, employment, health, recreation, and welfare"; the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...
(NAACP), and the
American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (''Quaker'') founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by Am ...
(AFSC)."Mary-Louise Hooper", African Activist Archive, http://africanactivist.msu.edu/image.php?objectid=32-131-18D"About Mary-Louise Hooper, 1961", Africa Defense and Aid Fund of the American Committee on Africa, http://kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/50/304/32-130-B6F-84-al.sff.document.acoa000261.pdf


Anti-apartheid activities


South Africa (1955-1957)

Mary-Louise Hooper, who was a Life Member of the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
, who had been "long active in volunteer work to better inter-racial relations", was also "an active supporter of African struggles against
colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
and
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
"."Mary-Louise Hooper with the FLN underground", http://africanactivist.msu.edu/image.php?objectid=32-131-30C After a three-month tour of South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, with a group of Quakers in 1955, Hooper moved to South Africa later that year, eventually buying a home in
Durban, South Africa Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
. Hooper supported the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
, and was described as "the only white person to ever work inside the African National Congress"."Woman Explains South African Defense Fund", ''Modesto Bee'' (Modesto, CA) (November 25, 1957):14."Hooper Tells of Opposition to Apatheid", ''California Tech'' (Pasadena, CA) (February 14, 1963):1.American Committee on Africa, ''Africa Today'' 7-8 (Indiana University Press, 1960):15, 50. Returning to the USA by June 1956 to seek permanent residence in South Africa, in San Francisco Hooper met with her friend African-American civil rights activist Ethel Ray Nance, secretary of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP; and, a week later, met with American civil rights activist,
Pan-Africanist Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
, author, writer and editor Dr.
W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...
in New York, with credentials from Chief Luthuli "authorizing her to act for him with the Committee on Africa". Travelling to London, England, through the influence of Du Bois, Hooper met Trinidadian Pan-Africanist, journalist, and author
George Padmore George Padmore (28 June 1903 – 23 September 1959), born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a leading Pan-Africanist, journalist, and author. He left his native Trinidad in 1924 to study medicine in the United States, where he also joined the Com ...
, who in turn wrote her a letter of introduction to former revolutionary
Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
, then Prime Minister of
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
, who later became the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, and would lead the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957.Mary-Louise Hooper to W.E.B. Du Bois, (August 27, 1956) from Lagos, Nigeria: http://credo.library.umass.edu/view/pageturn/mums312-b145-i234 Hooper met with Nkrumah at least 5 times in the Gold Coast in 1956. Hooper also met with anti-apartheid activist Bishop
Trevor Huddleston Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston (15 June 191320 April 1998) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Stepney in London before becoming the second Archbishop of the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean. He was best known for h ...
on that trip to London. By late August 1956 Hooper was in
Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
en route to her return to South Africa. On her return to South Africa, Hooper continued to campaign for the abolition of
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, and worked as a volunteer aide and secretary to ANC president Chief
Albert Luthuli Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli ( – 21 July 1967) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, traditional leader, and politician who served as the President-General of the African National Congress from 1952 until his death in 1967. Luthuli wa ...
, and was seen as a "fairy godmother" to the ANC, providing financial support, transportation in her "Congress Special" sedan, and hosting secret ANC meetings in her home. Hooper was active in providing financial assistance and other support for those tried during the
Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a trial in Johannesburg in which 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa in 1956. The main trial lasted until 1961, when all of the defendants were found not gu ...
."South Africa Frees U.S. Woman Tied to Racism Foes", ''The Stars and Stripes'', (March 17, 1957):2. By January 1957, Hooper had moved to
Hillbrow Hillbrow () is an inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution and crime. In the 1970s it was an Apartheid-design ...
, a suburb of Johannesburg.Letter from Mary-Louise Hooper to W. E. B. Du Bois (ca. February 1957): http://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b148-i156 On March 10, 1957, Hooper was arrested and imprisoned for five days in what she described as "degrading and humiliating" conditions in the Fort Prison in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
. Despite being granted permanent visa status by February 1957, Hooper was ordered to be deported from South Africa after being accused of assisting South African "negroes". Hooper was freed by the Rand Supreme Court on a writ of ''
habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
'', and later awarded
damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...
, which she donated to the ANC. On May 14, 1957
Eben Dönges Theophilus Ebenhaezer Dönges (8 March 1898 – 10 January 1968) was a South African politician who was elected the state president of South Africa, but died before he could take office, aged 69. Early life Eben Donges was born on 8 March 189 ...
, the Interior Minister, ordered her deportation as he believed her presence in South Africa was not in the public interest. After fleeing South Africa via
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
at the end of May 1957, she was excluded from re-entry by the South African government.


All-African Peoples' Conferences (1958-1961)

Hooper served as one of the three official Africa National Congress delegates and the only American delegate to the first
All-African Peoples' Conference The All-African Peoples Conference (AAPC) was partly a corollary and partly a different perspective to the modern Africa states represented by the Conference of Heads of independent Africa States. The All-Africa Peoples Conference was conceived to ...
in December 1958 in
Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
,
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. Hooper was also a delegate to the 2nd Congress in
Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...
,
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
in January 1960,"Mary Hooper to Speak at FDR Club Meet", ''Star-News'' (Pasadena, CA) (April 19, 1960):10. and was one of only two American observers at the Third All-African Peoples' Conference in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
in March 1961, having been denied delegate status despite being appointed as an ANC representative by Chief Luthuli. By 1961 Hooper had made at least one trip of at least two months duration to Africa, visiting 24 African countries including
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
,
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
, Congo,
Cameroun Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
,
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, North Africa, and nearly all of East, Central and Southern Africa. Hooper numbered among her personal friends President
Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
of Ghana;
Tom Mboya Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya (15August 19305July 1969) was a Kenyan trade unionist, educator, Pan-Africanist, author, independence activist, and statesman. He was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Kenya.Kenya Human Rights Commissio ...
of Kenya, Chief Luthuli,
Alan Paton Alan Stewart Paton (11 January 1903 – 12 April 1988) was a South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. His works include the novels ''Cry, the Beloved Country'' and '' Too Late the Phalarope''. Family Paton was born in Pietermaritzbu ...
and
Oliver Tambo Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo (27 October 191724 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and revolutionary who served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. Biography Higher education Oliv ...
of South Africa; Bishop
Trevor Huddleston Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston (15 June 191320 April 1998) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Stepney in London before becoming the second Archbishop of the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean. He was best known for h ...
of
Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...
,
Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissat ...
of
Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
, Ahmed Boumendjel of
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
and
Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (19 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and Matabeleland politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's ...
of
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...
.


USA (1957-1969)


California (1957-1964)

After her return to the USA in May 1957 Hooper continued to be active in her opposition to apartheid. Settling in San Francisco, Hooper stayed with African-American civil rights activist Ethel Ray Nance, secretary of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP. By 1958 Hooper had become the unpaid West Coast Representative of the
American Committee on Africa American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
(ACOA),"ANNUAL REPORT", American Committee on Africa (June 1, 1959 to May 31, 1960):4 ,http://kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/50/304/32-130-D89-84-al.sff.document.acoa001025.pdf and also served as director of the South Africa Program of ACOA. as well as for its Africa Defense and Aid Fund. Among her activities were giving interviews on radio, and television. Additionally, Hooper raised funds for the South African Defense Fund, which was to pay for the legal defence of those being prosecuted in the
Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a trial in Johannesburg in which 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa in 1956. The main trial lasted until 1961, when all of the defendants were found not gu ...
, and to support the families of
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
s. In the middle of 1960 Hooper was credited with raising much of the $50,000 contributed to the South Africa Defense Fund (renamed the Africa Defense and Aid Fund in late 1959). Hooper spoke frequently on "Human Rights in South Africa" to churches, and civic organizations, including to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Democratic Club in Pasadena, California on April 20, 1960, on the topic "Africa, a Continent in Turmoil". In a November 1958 speech "South Africa Today" at the
YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...
, Hooper claimed: "South Africa is the sorest spot on earth in regard to the color problem. People there are treated entirely on the basis of color, both politically, economically, socially and religiously." On December 17, 1962, Hooper was the organizer of a picket by the NAACP, the Northern California Committee for Africa, and the Congress of Racial Equality of the Dutch freighter ''Raki'', which had a load of asbestos, hemp, and coffee from South Africa, in San Francisco, to draw attention to racial discrimination in the Union of South Africa, and to encourage the USA to join a
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of South African goods.


New York (1964-1967)

In late 1964 Hooper moved to New York City to volunteer full-time as ACOA's Program Director for South Africa, and also appeared before the
United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761 was passed on 6 November 1962 in response to the racist policies of apartheid established by the South African Government. Condemnation of apartheid The resolution deemed apartheid and the polici ...
, where she submitted verified statements of physical and mental torture, signed by South Africans detained under South Africa's 90-day law, which allowed the South African government to arrest and hold anyone "for indefinite detention without trial". Hooper wrote prolifically on Africa and the issue of apartheid. From its inception in October 1964''South Africa Bulletin'' 1 (October 1964):1, http://kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/50/304/32-130-A98-84-al.sff.document.acoa000026.pdf to 1968 Hooper was the editor of the ''South African Bulletin'' (renamed ''Southern Africa Bulletin'' by March 1968) published by ACOA. In December 1965 Hooper organized the Benefit for South African Victims of Apartheid Defense and Aid Fund at
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...
in New York City on Human Rights Day (December 10), which attracted 3,500 attendees to hear the music of
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
and South African singer
Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...
,David L. Hostetter, "Movement Matters: American Antiapartheid Activism and the Rise of Multicultural Politics", Ph.D. dissertation, Graduate School of the University of Maryland (2004):57, https://byrdcenter.academia.edu/DavidHostetter/Papers/220331/Movement_Matters_American_Antiapartheid_Activism_and_the_Rise_of_Multicultural_Politics as well
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
, whom Hooper had convinced to speak at the Benefit."1965 Report", American Committee on Africa (1966):3, http://kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/50/304/32-130-D9B-84-32-130-D9B-84-al.sff.document.acoa001043.pdf King, in his first major speech on South Africa, spoke against the evils of the apartheid regime (comparing it to Nazi Germany), criticizing US complicity with apartheid, and highlighting the obligations of black Americans to support those opposed to apartheid. King called for economic sanctions against South Africa. In June 1966 Hooper helped initiate and organize the Declaration of American Artists Against Apartheid, "We Say No to Apartheid", which sought to prevent cultural contacts with the apartheid regime. 65 artists signed the Declaration, including
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
,
Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...
,
Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
,
Saul Bellow Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; 10 July 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only wr ...
,
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
,
Victor Borge Børge Rosenbaum (3 January 1909 – 23 December 2000), known professionally as Victor Borge ( ), was a Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in the North America and Europe. His ...
,
Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...
,
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...
,
Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including ''Car ...
,
Paddy Chayefsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He was ...
,
Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...
,
Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...
,
Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (19 ...
,
Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and rai ...
,
John Forsythe John Forsythe (January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety s ...
,
James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...
,
Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...
,
Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
,
Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...
,
Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Ba ...
,
Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...
,
Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...
,
Karl A. Menninger Karl Augustus Menninger (July 22, 1893 – July 18, 1990) was an American psychiatrist and a member of the Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. Biography Menni ...
,
Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...
,
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
,
Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan ( cy, Harri Morgan; – 25 August 1688) was a privateer, plantation owner, and, later, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, becoming wea ...
,
Julie Newmar Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer, August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real-estate mogul. She won the Tony ...
,
Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...
,
Frederick O'Neal Frederick O'Neal (August 27, 1905 – August 25, 1992) was an American actor, theater producer and television director. He founded the American Negro Theater, the British Negro Theatre, and was the first African-American president of the Actors ...
,
Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...
,
Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...
,
John Raitt John Emmet Raitt (; January 29, 1917 – February 20, 2005) was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre. Early years Raitt was born in Santa Ana, California, United States. He got his start in theatre ...
,
Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...
,
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Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...
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, and Poppy Cannon White. With
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Hooper was an organizer and spokesman for the Committee of Conscience Against Apartheid, which by December 1966, had sixty prominent members, including
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Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...
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, and
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."Apartheid Foes Boycott Two New York Banks", ''Modesto Bee'' (Modesto, CA) (December 7, 1966):7. In December 1966 the CCAA urged American banks not to lend money to South Africa, and on December 7, 1966, claimed that in excess of $23 million had been withdrawn from
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and
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by depositors in protest at their dealings with the South African regime. In May 1967 Hooper testified before a committee of the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...
,


Other civil rights activities

Hooper supported the '' Front de Libération Nationale'' (FLN), in its efforts to gain independence for
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from France, writing ''Refugee Algerian Students'' in 1960. During the
Angolan War of Independence The Angolan War of Independence (; 1961–1974), called in Angola the ("Armed Struggle of National Liberation"), began as an uprising against forced cultivation of cotton, and it became a multi-faction struggle for the control of Portugal ...
, Hooper raised awareness of the struggles and funds for refugees from
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by speaking and presenting the NBC White Paper documentary ''Angola: Journey to a War'',"Documentary Film on Angola to be Shown", ''Star-News'' (Pasadena, CA) (January 23, 1963):20. which was narrated by
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.


Later years and death

In 1981 Mary-Louise moved to
Klamath Falls, Oregon Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...
, to be near her daughter and grandsons. Mary-Louise died in Klamath Falls on August 14, 1987.


Works


As Mary-Louise Salsbury

* ''Other Americas''. Kansas City, Mo: Woman's Missionary Society, Church of the Nazarene, 1936.


As Mary-Louise Hooper

* "We Shall Not Ride: The Johannesburg Bus Boycott", ''Africa Today'' 4:6 (November–December 1957):13-16; * "The African Struggle for Freedom" (1959), cited in Algernon David Black, ''The Young Citizens: The Story of the Encampment for Citizenship'' (Ungar, 1962); * "Luthuli, Man of Peace", in ''Woman's Peace Party, Four Lights: An Adventure in Internationalism'' 21-22 (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1961); * "The Axe Falls on the Whites", ''South Africa Bulletin'' 1 (October 1964):1, http://kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/50/304/32-130-A98-84-al.sff.document.acoa000026.pdf; * "South Africa: ANC Leaders Hanged", in Africa Today Associates, American Committee on Africa, University of Denver Center on International Race Relations, ''Africa Today'', (1964):10-11 (Indiana University Press, 1969); * "Gestapo-Afrikaner Style", ''Africa Today'' (1964).


References

* Mary-Louise Hooper papers, Michigan State University Library, African Activist Archive, Special Collections, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, http://magic.msu.edu/record=b5146444~S39a"Archival Collection Name: Mary-Louise Hooper (papers)", http://africanactivist.msu.edu/archives.php?sort=depous


Further reading

* Minter, William; Gail Hovey; and Charles Cobb Jr., eds. ''No Easy Victories: African Liberation and American Activists over a Half-Century, 1950-2000''. Africa World Press, 2007.


External links


Africa Action biography of Mary-Louise Hooper

About Mary-Louise Hooper, 1961

November 1957 Radio Interview with Hooper

June 1959 audio of TV interview with Hooper


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Mary-Louise 1907 births 1987 deaths 1957 in South Africa American civil rights activists Nonviolence advocates Christian radicals Converts to Quakerism American Christian pacifists American Quakers Stanford University alumni Members of the African National Congress People from Klamath Falls, Oregon People from Swampscott, Massachusetts People from Hillbrow People with acquired American citizenship People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California 1957 crimes in South Africa 20th-century Quakers