Willie Pearl Mackey King, who is from Montgomery County, was a honoree at this year’s National Women’s History Museum gala.
King received the Women Making History Award for dedicating her life to civil rights. King grew up in Vidalia, Georgia in the 1940s and started working at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1962. Little did she know, that would lead her to making history and playing a critical role in the success of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As part of Dr. King’s executive staff, King typed his famous Letter From Birmingham Jail.
“People are realizing that there was a lot of hard work going on in those days when women were relegated to the very menial type jobs with very little or no recognition,” said King.
Photo Courtesy of Willie Pearl Mackey King
King also went on to travel with Dr. King to protests and marches. She even watched police arrest him and take him into the Birmingham jail where he wrote the letter. Dr. King wrote the words on scraps of paper which were then taken to Willie King to transcribe into the letter we know today. She says staying up those 2 days and 3 nights, unable to go to her hotel to rest or wash, was a pivotal moment in her life.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” said King. “I knew that from the first trip that I made on the road with him to a board meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee in March of 1962 that the work that he was doing was very important. But then it was very dangerous and scary.”
Her critical role in Dr. King’s legacy is an example of how many women, despite playing major roles, are often overlooked. This honor’s purpose is to highlight those who may not get the recognition they deserve. King says oftentimes history neglects to mention the many women behind the scenes making things happen.
“Dr. King would say when we talk about how dangerous it is on the road, he would say to me, personally, you got to understand, I have to do God’s will,” said King. “I said oh, well, maybe God has something for me to do too.”
King also was one of the first field workers for the Equal Opportunity Commission in Atlanta and worked there for 32 years. She also worked six years as a contractor for the US Office of Compliance on Capitol Hill after her retirement.
Photo Courtesy of Willie Pearl Mackey King
In 2019, King received the Civil Rights Legend award from the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies, and in 2021 she received the African American Living Legend award from Montgomery County, Maryland. On November 20, 2022, King was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Montgomery County Maryland Office of Human Rights.
“We are still not represented fairly,” said King. “There are few women and I think it’s because a lot of decisions are made on the golf course. “We’re not out there playing golf with the good old boys. Women just are not accepted at certain levels.”
King was honored alongside Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, and Ashley Graham. The museum also debuted its first in-person exhibit called “We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC,” honoring Black feminist organizers and scholars at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
“I would say to the women, give whatever you’re involved in your best,” said King. “I learned a lesson from Dr. King, give it your all. Make sure that you respect yourself, and that others respect you. Don’t let people treat you in a way that’s disrespectful just because you are a woman.”
The National Women’s History Museum’s first in person exhibit also opened at the MLK Library. It’s called, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC. The exhibition highlights the Black women activists whose work in Washington, DC, influenced national policy. It is free and runs until Sept 2024.
