Dr. Mae C. King

Dr. Mae Coates King was born to the parentage of Reverend Sterling King, Sr. and Mrs. Jessie Louise Hill King into a family of four siblings. Through the years ahead, six additional siblings joined the family’s circle of love. A family farm in the village of Aubrey, Arkansas within Lee County provided the physical setting for Mae Coates’s growth and development. At an early age Mae Coates accepted Christ into her life, was baptized and united in Christian fellowship with Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Her relationship with Christ provided the spiritual anchorage that sustained her through the years until she completed her earthly journey on November 4, 2022 with her devoted daughter and Pastor by her side.

In her own words in an interview of 1994 Mae (as she had become known) expressed sentiment about her early years. “Nothing has been more important to me than my formative years and family. Growing up in a big family I learned so much from that experience, and as I became an adult and found myself not only a long way from Aubrey and the county seat of Marianna in Lee County, but also out of the country itself in another international setting, I found that the foundation I was given in my family setting was very important in sustaining me, as I encountered people from different cultures and different religions.”

Mae Coates’s educational training spanned three states. She completed elementary studies at Newsome Training School in Aubrey and graduated from Robert R.  Moton High School in Marianna, Arkansas. She received a B. A. in social studies from Bishop College in Marshall, Texas, graduating summa cum laude and a member of Zeta Phi Beta. She earned an M.A. and PhD in political science from the University of Idaho.

Dr. King began her career as an educator at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. She later became a professor at Howard University. She left her work as a college professor to join the American Political Science Association (APSA) as the first woman and African American Senior Staff Associate. With a one year sabbatical leave from APSA, Dr. King moved to Nigeria, where interests in Africa from the time of her youth were awakened.

From the move to Nigeria, Dr. King’s life was forever changed. Not returning to APSA, Dr. King taught political science as an associate professor at the University of Benin in Benin City, Nigeria for fourteen years. During this period she met who would become her husband, Alade Akesode. From the union, Dr. King was blessed with motherhood, a daughter Kafayat. With the union of Kafayat and David Aylesworth, her motherhood was expanded with two granddaughters, Ariel and Faith. While in Nigeria, she held offices in the Nigerian Political Science Association and the Nigerian Society of International Affairs.  When Dr. King returned from Nigeria, she again joined the faculty of Howard University in the Department of Political Science where she remained until her retirement as Professor Emerita in 2013.

Dr. King was a youth leader with the national Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).   Additionally, Dr. King served as the Vice-President of the Student Christian Federation of the Southern Baptist Convention and as National President of the National Student Council of the YWCA. Later she received training by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in non-violent direct action. This service and training provided support for Dr. King, as she became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. 

Dr. King leaves a distinguished legacy, both scholarly and familial. King is the namesake for an award given by the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics. Each year, the Mae C. King Distinguished Paper Award on Women, Gender, and Black Politics recognizes "the best paper presented by a political scientist on women, gender and Black Politics at a national or regional Political Science conference in the past academic year". Dr. Mae King "paved the way for a generation of Black political scientists generally, and Black female political scientists particularly", Sherri L. Wallace et al. wrote: she "has made a significant contribution to the modern Black Liberation Movement, and to other fields of study, including African studies, Black studies, and Black women's studies. King’s article, “Oppression and Power:  The Unique Status of the Black Woman in the American Political System,” (Social Science Quarterly, 1975) is one of the classics in the field of political science and widely anthologized.

Her publications include “Localism and Nation Building” (Spectrum Books, 1988) and “Basic Currents of Nigerian Foreign Policy” (Howard University Press, 1996 ). She worked with Dr. Jewel Prestage and other African American political scientists to found the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. Her work as a mentor is beyond measurement. Family is deeply embedded within Dr. King’s legacy. It served as the foundation for her achievements and her spirit remains with the family through bonding of love. The melodies of “Songs of Our Ancestors” which she shared at family reunions will linger, giving guidance and encouragement to her family.

Dr. King is preceded in death by her parents, Rev. & Mrs. Sterling King, Sr.; husband, Alade Akesode; siblings:  Cozetta Ruth King (sister), Arthur Vernel King (brother), Ernie B. Jones (sister), Mildred Lewellen (sister), Willie H. King (brother) and Reverend Sterling King, Jr. (brother).

Dr. King is survived with embraced legacy and treasured memories by her daughter Kafayat  (David) Aylesworth and granddaughters Ariel & Faith of Manassas, Virginia; sisters: Melvia L. Barrett of Houston, Texas; Emmer (Bernard, Sr.) Shelton of Chicago, Illinois; Mary D. (Michael) Gorham of Denver, Colorado; Brother: Calvin, Sr. (Sarah) of Aubrey, Arkansas; Sister-in-love Rosalyn C. King of Silver Spring, Maryland; Godson Aaron (Tina) King of Alexandria, Virginia and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and many special friends and professional colleagues.       

The service details are as follows:

November 20, 2022, Sunday

1:00 PM Viewing

2:00 PM Homegoing Service - Services will be live streamed https://vimeo.com/event/2620173/01dc9f7736

Mt. Calvary Baptist Church

608 North Horners Lane

Rockville, MD 20850

December 3, 2022, Saturday

11:00 AM Homegoing Service

Hampshire Missionary Baptist Church

206 Church Street

Aubrey, AR

Interment (following the Homegoing Service)

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery

Aubrey, Arkansas
 

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