Born on October 12, 1912 in Montgomery, Alabama, and grew up on a plantation owned by her father. Dickerson graduated cum laude from Fisk University in 1935 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Howard University School of Law, becoming one of four women to graduate in her class of 1936. She married Henry Dickerson and had triplets, Alfred, John and Chris; she later divorced when the boys were 6. During her long legal career, she was known as an advocate for the rights of the poor and underprivileged, women, and minorities. She was the first black female attorney in her home state of Alabama in 1948, and the second black woman admitted to the bar in Indiana in 1951. After working as an attorney in Alabama and Indiana, she moved to Alaska with her sons and became Alaska's first black attorney in 1959. She also was the first black president of the National Association of Women Lawyers, 1983-1984. She resided in Alaska until her death on February 19, 2007.
From the description of Mahala Dickerson papers, 1958-2007 and undated. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 424618902
