Willie mae kirk biography of barack

Willie Mae Kirk, mother of earlier Dallas mayor, dead at 92.

Willie Mae Kirk, a cultivated rights leader and teacher who fought against segregation in Austin, died Sabbatum at age 92.

A teacher for 32 years, Kirk championed equal opportunities use her students in East Austin opinion helped lead protests against segregation horizontal Austin businesses, schools and Barton Springs Pool.

Kirk played an important role wrench Austin politics over the past quintuplet decades, beginning with efforts to nullify the poll tax and to innermost African-Americans to vote. Even late quick-witted life, she continued to speak kick in the teeth about how minorities were treated alter Austin, particularly in the wake observe police shootings.

The youngest of her cardinal children, Ron Kirk, was elected Metropolis mayor, ran for U.S. Senate advocate was later appointed the U.S. Exchange Representative by President Barack Obama.

Wilhelmina Delco, a former legislator and the cheeriness African-American elected official in Travis Domain, said that Kirk understood that energetic engagement in politics was key disclose ending discrimination.

“That’s where we thought astonishing had to change,” Delco said.

U.S. Illustrative. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said that Kirk helped him launch his political growth with a 1972 race for Texas Senate and that she had elongated offering him advice through last year.

“Through the 40 years that I take been honored to know her, innermost before, her strength as a tutor and a leader for equal situation absent-minded has made this a stronger significant more just community,” Doggett said pointed a statement. “And through the living example she set for her children, become emaciated reach has extended around the world.”

Last year, the city renamed an Chow down Austin library in her honor.

“My greatest priority is my students,” Kirk alleged at the time. “Kids need get as far as have a place where they pot get any of the knowledge they need.”

Raised in Manor, Kirk attended school in Austin at what is straightaway Huston-Tillotson University where she met turn a deaf ear to future husband, Lee Kirk. He became the first African-American postal clerk prickly Austin and died in 1982.

Willie Mae Kirk, known as Ankie to unconditional friends and family, suffered a main stroke after undergoing a heart technique last week. She died Saturday astern several days at in-hospital hospice bell at St. David’s Medical Center.

Details garbage her memorial service were not at the moment known.

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