{"id":12924,"date":"2026-08-16T08:51:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T08:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=12924"},"modified":"2026-08-16T08:51:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T08:51:04","slug":"in-1958-mahala-ashley-dickerson-visited-alaska-on-vacation-and-decided-to-move-there-after-claiming-160-acres-she-became-the-territorys-first-black-homesteader-and-months-later-its-first-black-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=12924","title":{"rendered":"In 1958, Mahala Ashley Dickerson visited Alaska on vacation and decided to move there; after claiming 160 acres, she became the territory&#8217;s first Black homesteader and months later its first Black lawyer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133271509,imgsize-88828,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg\" alt=\"In 1958, Mahala Ashley Dickerson visited Alaska on vacation and decided to move there; after claiming 160 acres, she became the territory's first Black homesteader and months later its first Black lawyer\" title=\"Dickerson had built a career that included several notable firsts. (Anchorage museum photo)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Dickerson had built a career that included several notable firsts. (Anchorage museum photo)\">Dickerson had built a career that included several notable firsts. (Anchorage museum photo)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>American lawyer and civil rights advocate Mahala Ashley Dickerson\u2019s life took her from Montgomery, Alabama, to Alaska, where she broke barriers in both the legal profession and homesteading.<!-- --> Her journey has been featured by the National Park Service among important figures in Black history.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>Born in Montgomery in 1912, Dickerson grew up in the American South before graduating from Tennessee\u2019s Fisk University in 1935. She later earned her law degree from Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC, in 1945.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>After completing her legal education, Dickerson returned to Alabama. In 1948, she became the first Black female lawyer in the state. <!-- -->She spent the next six decades working in the legal profession and became known for representing people who faced discrimination. Her career later took her to Indiana and then, unexpectedly, to Alaska.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>Dickerson moved to Indiana in 1951 after practising law in Alabama for three years. There, she became only the second Black woman admitted to the bar in the state. But her life changed several years later after she travelled to Alaska on holiday. She was drawn to the state&#8217;s landscape and natural beauty and eventually decided to move there.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>In 1958, Dickerson filed a claim for a 160-acre homestead in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley near Wasilla. By doing so, she became Alaska\u2019s first Black homesteader. A few months later, she passed the Alaska Bar exam and became the first Black lawyer in Alaska, adding another milestone to a career already marked by barriers she had overcome.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Building career in Alaska<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>Dickerson continued to face discrimination in Alaska, just as she had elsewhere. However, she chose to stay and established law offices in Wasilla and Anchorage. She became known for the strong defence she offered to her clients and for her willingness to take on difficult cases.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>Describing her approach to the legal profession, Dickerson once said, \u201cMy zeal was often resented by opposing counsel. I had no fear of the other attorney and often incurred his wrath.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Her determination also shaped some of the cases she took on. One of her most notable trials involved female faculty members at the University of Alaska. The women were receiving lower wages than their male counterparts. Dickerson won the case, creating a precedent for the female faculty members.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>Her work brought recognition beyond Alaska. Dickerson held several important positions and received a number of honours during her long legal career. <!-- -->From 1983 to 1984, she served as president of the National Association of Women Lawyers.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dickerson with Rosa Parks\" msid=\"133271539\" width=\"\" title=\"Dickerson was a longtime friend of legendary civil rights activist, Rosa Parks (NPS photo)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133271539\/dickerson-with-rosa-parks.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dickerson was a longtime friend of legendary civil rights activist, Rosa Parks (NPS photo)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A trailblazer<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>In 1985, Dickerson received the Zeta Phi Beta Award for distinguished service in the field of law. A decade later, she received one of the most notable honours of her career.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>In 1995, the American Bar Association awarded Dickerson the Margaret Brent Award. The award recognised outstanding American female lawyers. Dickerson spoke about the achievement with the confidence that had marked much of her career. <!-- -->\u201cRuth Bader Ginsburg got hers before me, but I got mine before Sandra Day O\u2019Connor,\u201d she said..<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>\u2018Not afraid to fight somebody big\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>She also documented her experiences and views in an autobiography. In 1998, she published Delayed Justice for Sale, giving readers another account of her life and career.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>In her autobiography, Dickerson reflected on the challenges she had faced and the determination that had driven her throughout her life.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>\u201cIn my life, I didn\u2019t have but two things to do. Those were to stay black and die. <!-- -->I\u2019m just not afraid to fight somebody big,\u201d she wrote.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>The statement captured the attitude that had defined her legal career. From becoming Alabama\u2019s first Black female lawyer to becoming the first Black lawyer in Alaska, Dickerson repeatedly entered professions and places where she had to overcome discrimination. She died in 2007 at the age of 94.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/in-1958-mahala-ashley-dickerson-visited-alaska-on-vacation-and-decided-to-move-there-after-claiming-160-acres-she-became-the-territorys-first-black-homesteader-and-months-later-its-first-black-lawyer\/articleshow\/133271121.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dickerson had built a career that included several notable firsts. (Anchorage museum photo) American lawyer and civil rights advocate Mahala Ashley Dickerson\u2019s life took her from Montgomery, Alabama, to Alaska, where she broke barriers in both the legal profession and homesteading. Her journey has been featured by the National Park Service among important figures in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Dickerson had built a career that included several notable firsts. (Anchorage museum photo) American lawyer and civil rights advocate Mahala Ashley Dickerson\u2019s life took her from Montgomery, Alabama, to Alaska, where she broke barriers in both the legal profession and homesteading. Her journey has been featured by the National Park Service among important figures in [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mahala-ashley-dickerson.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}