Mother Mary Ann Wright

The role of African-American women in community service and social activism is well known. In this paper, the researcher provides a case study of a present-day African-American social activist and makes comparisons with the community service experiences of other African-American women in the past. Mother Mary Ann Wright describes herself as a servant of God. As with other African-American women, it is God who provides her identity and sense of purpose. Likewise, because she serves God, she has status in her community. Mother Wright is an exceptional woman-born in abject poverty, having pulled herself up by her bootstraps-all the while listening to the voice of God, she has founded missions throughout the world and is best known for her work in feeding the hungry in the parks of Oakland, California. She gives all credit for her accomplishments to God. However unique and outstanding, Mother Wright also epitomizes a long tradition of African-American women whose spirituality directed their service to their fellow human beings. The list is long and the variety of these women is great-the well educated leaders as well as the ordinary-Pauli Murray, Mary McLeod Bethune, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and thousands of other African-American women have dedicated their lives to uplifting the race and improving the human condition. The story of Mother Wright, a special and exceptional women in her own right, nevertheless confirms the continuation of the tradition of spirituality and public service among African-American women.