What fueled an 84-year-old grandmother from Santa Ana to take on the US Supreme Court in a fight for housing equality? Hear the powerful journey of Dorothy Mulkey, whose childhood in Kentucky's tight-knit school community instilled values of justice and equality that would later shape her activism. From her choice to join the Navy to facing racial segregation in Santa Ana’s Little Texas, Dorothy recounts the pivotal moments that set her on a courageous path against Proposition 14.
Discover the grit and resilience that carried Dorothy through a four-year legal struggle, all while being a new mother facing societal barriers and threats. With personal anecdotes about her battle to secure a job at Bank of America and the profound spiritual and familial support that sustained her, Dorothy's story is a testament to the power of faith and community in overcoming adversity. This segment underscores how her unyielding spirit led to a landmark victory that continues to inspire the fight against housing discrimination.
Finally, we explore the evolving role of women in the civil rights movement through Dorothy's eyes. She shares invaluable lessons in social justice advocacy, emphasizing the importance of doing what is right despite challenges. Highlighting influential community figures and the unwavering support from her mother, Dorothy offers heartfelt advice for young advocates. With personal stories about her family, including her grandson's admiration, this episode pays tribute to the empowerment of women in civil rights and the enduring legacy of Dorothy’s mother, whose resilience and love for learning shaped Dorothy into the committed activist she is today.
Visit us at our Buzzsprout site for more ways to listen, links to our social media sites and any referenced materials, and complete transcripts of our full-length episodes: https://bit.ly/SAUSDAmplifyingLeadership
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Announcer (00:08):
Greetings Amplifiers.
Our very special guest thisepisode is 84-year-old Santa Ana
resident, Dorothy Mulkey.
In 1963, the Rumford FairHousing Act made it illegal for
landlords to deny people housingbased on ethnicity, religion or
national origin in California.
The following year, Californiaballot Proposition 14 was passed
(00:29):
in response to counteract thelaw, reinstating racially
discriminatory housing practicesknown as redlining.
Dorothy Mulkey led the fight tooverturn Proposition 14,
bringing her case before theCalifornia Supreme Court in 1965
.
The Court determinedProposition 14 violated the 14th
Amendment, but the casecontinued upward to the Supreme
(00:49):
Court of the United States.
In 1967, the US Supreme Courtupheld the California court
ruling, delivering a victory toDorothy and others who faced
discriminatory housing practicesacross the US.
Bianca Barquin (01:03):
Greetings, Amplifiers, and welcome to
another episode of SAUSD'sAmplifying Leadership.
I'm your host, Bianca Barquin,and it's wonderful to be back
with you today to amplify thework of inspiring leaders who
are making a difference in thelives of our students, our local
community and beyond.
Today, as we illuminate thelife and legacy of an incredible
(01:26):
Santa Ana community advocate,we're joined by a truly heroic
figure whose journey is nothingshort of legendary.
With us today is Dorothy Mulkey, a resident of Santa Ana's
historic Little Texasneighborhood, a fierce advocate
for fair housing and civilrights, a courageous trailblazer
(01:48):
in the battle againstsegregation and an inspiration
to all who learn her story.
Dorothy's journey fromKentucky's coal country to the
steps of the US Supreme Court isa testament to the power of
resilience and the enduringfight for justice.
Dorothy, it's an absoluteprivilege to have you with us
(02:11):
here today.
Your journey from the coalmines of Kentucky to the highest
court in the land is trulyinspiring.
Thank you.
Dorothy Mulkey (02:20):
It's so good to be here.
Bianca Barquin (02:22):
So let's start at the beginning and I'm going
to get right into questions.
Tell us what your upbringingwas like and how did it shape
your views on justice andequality.
Dorothy Mulkey (02:34):
That's pretty simple.
I came from a family of four.
My brother was five years olderand I was the only daughter for
11 years until my mom hadanother baby which I considered
as my own.
So I went to a small schoolbecause obviously it was a small
(02:54):
town and there were twobuildings.
The front building was for theprimary kids and the big
building was from elementarythrough high school, so you
didn't have to walk very farabout two minutes from one
building to the other.
And the interesting thing aboutmy school was the fact that our
(03:17):
school teachers that taught usMonday through Friday were also
our Sunday school teachers onSunday.
So they knew everything aboutyou, your family.
If you get out of line, youcould expect not a phone call
but a visit.
So I thought that was veryunique.
We actually had almost likeprivate tutoring.
Bianca Barquin (03:41):
That is pretty incredible to have just like two
rooms, you said, in this smallbuilding.
That went all the way throughhigh school, in that your same
teachers were Sunday schoolteachers.
Talk about the relationshipsthat they had with you all as
students and with your familymembers too.
Dorothy Mulkey (03:58):
Absolutely.
Bianca Barquin (04:00):
So when did you actually move to California and
can you tell us about this areaknown as Little Texas?
Dorothy Mulkey (04:08):
Well, yes, there's a story in between.
When I graduated from highschool, I had gotten a
scholarship to Kentucky StateCollege, but my cousin and I,
Sandra, were in the samegraduating class had decided we
were going into the militaryinstead.
So Sandra went into the Armyand when I went to the Army
(04:30):
recruiter I said no, becausetheir uniforms were brown and
didn't look good on me.
So I go, 'I need to go tosomeone that has more colorful
uniforms,' and so that reason Ichose the Navy, which I went
into after several months,because my mom was determined I
was not going into the military.
But I convinced my dad becausehe was on my side, and that's
(04:53):
how I got in.
Bianca Barquin (04:55):
Incredible and you look amazing and so
fashionable today.
I think that that is beautiful.
So once you were in themilitary and then you emerged
from service, right, is thatwhen you moved to California?
Dorothy Mulkey (05:09):
Absolutely.
The story in between that (05:10):
one year before my enlistment was up
, I met Lincoln Mulkey and theonly reason he attracted me was
because he was very tall and Icame from a very short family.
So I had decided as a kid thatI was going to marry a tall man,
(05:30):
have three kids and a whitepicket fence.
And he met the goal that I hadset.
He was like six feet four and Iwas almost 5'1", so I knew that
we would have tall kids andthat's what motivated me.
Bianca Barquin (05:46):
That's amazing.
So you made all your dreamscome true.
Dorothy Mulkey (05:52):
I
I love it, and I love that youalways knew what you wanted.
Absolutely.
Bianca Barquin (05:58):
So you all moved to
Dorothy Mulkey (06:01):
Yes, he was actually from California.
His dad lived in Santa Ana.
He had graduated from RiversideHigh School, but he didn't get
to march with his graduationclass because he had joined the
Navy and the class that hewanted to attend started before
graduation day.
So, even though he received hisdiploma, he did not march
(06:24):
because he had to go to bootcamp to get into the class he
wanted.
Bianca Barquin (06:28):
Wow, okay, so he was natively from California
and Santa Ana, so tell me moreabout Little Texas.
What is Little Texas?
Dorothy Mulkey (06:38):
Little Texas is a group of streets that range
from Raitt Street to well pastCivic Center Drive.
It's an area that was primarilyfor people that were not
Caucasian.
Bianca Barquin (06:53):
Okay.
Dorothy Mulkey (06:53):
People of color.
Bianca Barquin (06:55):
Here in Santa Ana.
Dorothy Mulkey (06:56):
Here
Bianca Barquin (06:57):
And is that where you all lived when you
moved to California?
Dorothy Mulkey (07:01):
Yes, my dad-- father-in-law, call him my dad,
had a home on South TownsendStreet and so, because I was
seven months pregnant when wecame, we moved in with them till
the baby came.
And then, when my daughterMichelle was about three months
old, I knew it was time to lookfor an apartment because I was
(07:22):
then able to take care of ahouse.
So that's when the journeystarted, when I began to look
for a house and we knew thatthere were new apartment
buildings really close to us,because my husband at the time
was a letter carrier and on hisroute he observed these three
blocks of new apartments.
(07:45):
There were duplexes andtwo-story and brand new, never
been lived in places.
And that's what caught myattention the fact that we
needed a house and I wantedsomething brand new for my new
baby.
Bianca Barquin (07:59):
Yeah, and you were now at a place where you
could have your own home andtake care of your own apartment.
Is that when you and yourhusband first started to
encounter housing discriminationhere in Orange County?
Dorothy Mulkey (08:13):
Yes, that's when we started to look for
apartments.
I had looked in the Register tosee the places that he had told
me about on his route and theyactually had listings in the
Orange County Register.
So I called.
I called three apartments andmade appointments to come by and
(08:33):
see the places, and those threewere on West Brook Street, West
Highland and West Bishop.
Bianca Barquin (08:42):
And what happened?
Did you go to your appointmentsafter you made them?
Dorothy Mulkey (08:46):
Absolutely.
He got off at five o'clock andso we made all the appointments
for six o'clock on differentdays.
So the first one we went to wasthe one on West Bishop and I
could see, as we were walking in, that someone was observing us
from the window, from thecurtains.
So when we knocked on the door,the lady came and she said, 'Oh
(09:11):
, are you the lady I talked toon the phone?
' I said yeah, I'm Dottie Mulkey.
And she said, 'I'm just sosorry to tell you but we have no
vacancies.
' And we knew she was lyingbecause, as I said, they were on
his mail route.
He delivered packages andletters to that same address
(09:34):
daily and he knew that over halfof the apartments were vacant.
So we thanked her for her timeand left.
The next day we went to the oneon Brook Street.
It was the same story.
We were just a few minutes toolate.
It was like they had talked toeach other.
(09:57):
So being defeated but notgiving up is when the journey
really began.
Because that very next Saturday, when I went to the beauty shop
on 5th and Bristol and I wassitting in a chair next to a
lady that I didn't know, but shewas obviously an official for
(10:18):
the NAACP that knew my dad.
So when she wanted to know howthings were and I told her about
the apartment search, she said,'I think I may be able to help
(10:38):
you.
'
Bianca Barquin (10:38):
That is amazing that this chance encounter at
the beauty shop got you thesupport that you needed to take
your next steps in the journey.
So is that when you decided tochallenge Prop 14?
How did you feel at that time?
I mean, were you nervous abouttaking on this.
.
.
s o tell me more about yourstory.
Dorothy Mulkey (10:57):
On the Saturday that I had the conversation with
Scottie Biddle.
I didn't even know whatProposition 14 was, so there was
no plan.
All I knew was that we werelooking for an apartment and she
was going to help us facilitatethat.
So she made arrangements for usto attend the next NAACP
(11:20):
meeting, which was at a school,I think it was Monte Vista, and
she presented our dilemma to thegroup and they all bought into
it without thinking, because thesituation was that we were not
the only people that had beendenied access to apartments
(11:40):
because of color.
We were just the first ones tomake it known and try to do
something about it.
Bianca Barquin (11:49):
That is incredible.
So at some point was the ACLUalso involved, or just the NAACP
?
Dorothy Mulkey (11:57):
The ACLU was very much involved in it, also
because the NAACP at that timedid not have enough people or
leadership to handle what wasabout to take place.
Bianca Barquin (12:11):
Got it.
So what was the next step inthe journey after that meeting
at Monte Vista, right?
Dorothy Mulkey (12:17):
Yes, the next step was that a bunch of lawyers
got together and I believe thelead attorney was David Cadwell
from Los Angeles.
He had a large practice and Istill to this day don't
understand how he had enoughtime to call us almost weekly as
they were formulating the planto present our case.
(12:39):
But I mean, I'd see the phoneringing and I knew it was David
because he would always call atthe same time and he literally
walked us through from beginningto end what to expect and he
said to me, he said, 'Youunderstand, there's going to be
haters out there and you'regoing to experience things that
(13:00):
you've never experienced before.
If you really want to gothrough with this, we will back
you, but if you don't, we'llunderstand.
' And so I said to him once westart, we can't back down.
We have to do this.
We're going all the way,whatever that takes.
And I jokingly said to him, mychild, Michelle was about six
(13:23):
months old then, I said, witheverything going on, this case
will probably be finished by thetime she's in high school.
That was a joke and that was1963.
And it actually took four yearsfor the case to go through and
for us to come out successful.
Bianca Barquin (13:42):
Four years.
That's an incredibly long time.
So what were your experiencesduring those four years?
What were you able to do?
Here you are a new mom takingon all of this and you have an
attorney calling you everysingle week to kind of give you
updates, right, and to brief youon what's happening related to
(14:05):
the case.
Dorothy Mulkey (14:06):
Well, the interim period was really as
exciting as the wait for thehousing because my dad, Lincoln
Mulkey Sr.
that worked for Tom Keyes, alocal realtor, Dad Mulkey
actually maintained the modelhomes for Mr.
Keyes so he had access to a lotof material things when the
(14:28):
apartments and houses were sold.
So he told me that when I waslooking for a job, Dad Mulkey
said you know, daughter, thatyou're probably going to have to
babysit or act as a maid orsomething, because the Blacks in
Santa Ana don't work in banksand places like that.
And I said, why not?
He said well, they just don't.
(14:49):
So that motivated me.
The very next day I went toBank of America on North Main
Street in Santa Ana, talked withthe operations manager and he
was just kind of in awe that Ihad come out of the military and
I had this young child and soforth, so he hired me on the
(15:11):
spot.
So when you say no to me, thatjust motivates me.
Bianca Barquin (15:18):
That is such.
.
.
It's an incredible story, numberone.
But your courage and yourability to overcome adversity is
inspirational.
What do you think gives youthat courage?
Dorothy Mulkey (15:31):
My mom My mom told me as a little child, she
said, 'You are so special thatyou are a born leader that no
one will be able to keep youfrom whatever it is that you
want if you set your mind to it.
' And I bought into that story,I believed it.
Bianca Barquin (15:58):
As you should, and I hope for our listeners out
there that everyone who has achild is doing the exact same
thing, because what you've beenable to accomplish is incredible
and it's done so much not onlyfor you, but for so many others.
I mean, you are a trailblazer.
So tell me more about your case, and what was it like to see
(16:20):
your case reach the SupremeCourt, because that's how far it
went, and how did you preparefor that?
Dorothy Mulkey (16:28):
Well, actually I didn't have to prepare for
anything because the legal teamthat we had, with David Cadwell
as the helmsman, all they didwas do what lawyers do.
They gathered the information,all of it.
They interviewed a whole bunchof people, we told our story and
(16:50):
we just sat back and wait.
The case originally went to theCalifornia Supreme Court, which
they upheld the validity ofProposition 14.
Bianca Barquin (17:02):
Wow.
Dorothy Mulkey (17:04):
But the story wasn't over, and again David
said, 'Do you want to go to thehighest court in the land?
' I go, we have nothing to lose.
So then the prep started andthey presented the case and it
won.
It was a 5-4 decision, but awin is a win.
Bianca Barquin (17:28):
And how did you feel?
Dorothy Mulkey (17:29):
I felt like I was out of body.
I felt like it was surrealbecause at that time I was
working for United CaliforniaBank, which was across the
street from Bank of Americabecause they offered me more
money and I took it, and so theoperations manager said that I
had like an emergency phone calland when I took it, it was
(17:53):
David saying you need to gethome.
Something miraculous hashappened and I knew.
But when I got home, I thinkthat all the local TV stations,
Channel 5, Channel 2, Channel 7,were there, reporters were all
over the place and my husbandhad come in from the post office
.
We were just dumbfounded, wejust.
(18:16):
.
.
it was like, as I said, anout-of-body experience that it
had finally come to fruitionafter all those years.
Bianca Barquin (18:26):
Four years later , four years later and what a
difference, right, from theCalifornia Supreme Court versus
the US Supreme Court.
Dorothy Mulkey (18:36):
Absolutely.
Bianca Barquin (18:37):
Now, did you encounter any struggles, any
hate, anything like that duringthose four years?
Dorothy Mulkey (18:47):
You could say that.
Bianca Barquin (18:49):
You did?
Dorothy Mulkey (18:49):
Yes.
Bianca Barquin (18:50):
Can you tell us a little bit about it and how
did you keep your family safeand how did you keep your own
morale up?
I think it'd be good forlisteners anybody who's
encountering adversity now orgoing through a struggle just to
remain strong.
So I would love to hear some ofyour advice or suggestions.
Dorothy Mulkey (19:12):
There were a lot of phone calls.
A lot of people that wereafraid to be seen called and
they said all kinds of uglythings on the phone and, as I
said, my father-in-law wasthreatened by Tom Keyes that he
would lose his job if he didn'tcontrol his daughter-in-law.
Bianca Barquin (19:33):
Wow.
Dorothy Mulkey (19:33):
And so I told Dad well, get ready, you may
have to look for a different job, because I'm not backing down,
but I'm not threatened bymalicious people, because I have
faith.
And my faith is so muchstronger than my fear that if He
wanted something to happen tome, He would have let it, but He
(19:55):
didn't allow that.
So I already knew.
I knew when we filed that wewere going to win this case.
I already knew that it's just amatter of time.
But if He has a calling on you,if He has something for you,
nothing or nobody can take itaway.
Bianca Barquin (20:14):
Is that what kept your entire family strong?
Because you all needed to bestrong as a unit, right, when
you're encountering all of thesechallenges, from your
father-in-law to your parents,you, your husband, your children
, you know.
Dorothy Mulkey (20:30):
Yeah, and my father-in-law was a deacon in
the church.
He was a man of God, you know.
He gave people advice and soforth, but he was weak when it
came to his own and I don'tdoubt him for that.
But it was okay because in theend, when we won the case, all
of a sudden he got his faith inme back.
He loved me again, you know.
(20:51):
But it's okay, becausesometimes people don't buy into
your dream because they can'tsee it.
It's for you and oftentimes youlet people steal your dream
because they can't see it.
But you have to hold strong toyour faith.
You have to believe in yourselfand if you believe in it strong
(21:15):
enough, pretty soon others willcatch on.
Bianca Barquin (21:19):
I love that.
I think that that is soinspiring, so important and
great wisdom for people to beaware of.
Sometimes people don't buy intoyour dreams because they can't
see it.
So true.
So you mentioned once because Iwatched a couple previous
interviews that doing nothingwas not an option when faced
(21:44):
with discrimination.
What inner strength did youdraw on during this time when
people were doubting or possiblygetting you to change your mind
or drop the case?
I mean, is it your faith?
Dorothy Mulkey (22:00):
It's definitely my faith and I guess my knees
are kind of rusty now because Istayed on them a lot and I have
an intimate relationship with mySavior.
It's not a casual, it's neverbeen a casual, it's been
personal, and when I call uponHim I don't have time to play, I
don't have time to, 'Lord, Ithink,' it's 'Lord, I know.
(22:23):
I know you hear me, I knowyou're there for me, I'm one of
yours.
' So there was never any doubtin my mind that we would not
come out victorious.
Bianca Barquin (22:36):
I love your strength, I love your resilience
.
Okay, so now let's get intoleadership a little bit.
What qualities do you believeare essential for leaders who
are taking on challenges likethese in the civil rights
movement in anything, especiallyin today's context?
(22:58):
What qualities should leaderspossess?
Dorothy Mulkey (23:05):
I think you have to know the cause that you're
fighting for and if you believein it, then give it 100%.
If you don't believe in it, getout of the way and let somebody
else do it.
Bianca Barquin (23:13):
Beautifully stated.
I love it.
I love it.
So how important, going back toyour case specifically, was the
support of your local communityduring your legal fight?
Did it help you through theprocess?
Did it influence the outcome?
I'm thinking about you livingin Little Texas, here in Santa
Ana.
Dorothy Mulkey (23:34):
Yeah, I think that Miss Scottie Biddle, who
was a relative of Annie MayTripp, who founded the Southwest
Community Center, played anintegral part in my journey,
because Miss Scottie was, andshe was a little lady.
She was actually shorter than Iam and I'm, like I said, almost
5'1", so she must have beenabout 4'9".
(23:56):
But she was a giant of a ladyand I had a lot of one-on-one
meetings with her.
I had a lot of one-on-onemeetings with Miss Annie Mae
Tripp from the SouthwestCommunity Center.
And my mother-in-law, whosename is Dorothy also, was
instrumental once we had gottenpast the first hurdle, because
(24:19):
she obviously was devoted to myfather-in-law and she tried to
be on the same page.
But she finally came over to myside and I didn't have to
convince her to do that, becauseone thing about me, I won't try
to bring you over to my side.
You either buy into it or youdon't.
I don't try to change youropinion.
Bianca Barquin (24:47):
So tell me something.
Do you believe the fair housingmovement has made enough
progress since your case, or arethere still challenges we need
to overcome?
Dorothy Mulkey (24:52):
Oh, there's progress that has been made, but
the challenges are still there,because the haters are still
out there and they don'tnecessarily just hate on one,
they just hate on people ofcolor, whatever the ethnicity is
, and I think that things areprobably more undercover now
(25:12):
than they were and even thoughhousing has opened up, if you
have the money to move, to payfor wherever you want to move,
but now the problem is thathousing is so high that the
average person has to rent.
They can't afford to buy.
Bianca Barquin (25:31):
That's true.
That is true.
The housing market it's soexpensive.
Dorothy Mulkey (25:34):
Yeah.
Bianca Barquin (25:36):
I'm thinking about the students that we
actually serve in Santa Ana, myown son.
What advice would you give toyoung people today who want to
advocate for social justice andequality?
Dorothy Mulkey (25:49):
I would say to the young people, and especially
to my grandkids, I have sixgrandkids, three grandsons and
three granddaughters, and myyoungest grandson, who graduated
from UC Davis, said to me, hewas about 10th grade.
He said, he said, 'Grandma, wehave to do a project at school,'
(26:10):
he was going to Segerstrom, 'onwho your hero is and you're my
hero.
Can I do a video on you?
' And that had to be thesweetest thing anybody had ever
said to me, that this teenagerwanted to do a video because I
was his hero.
And so we did the basics.
(26:31):
He took the film, took thepictures and so forth, and he
aced the class, obviouslybecause of that.
So I would say to young peoplejust do what makes you feel good
, and you know what that is,because doing what is right,
there's a cost to it.
It's not free.
Doing what is wrong is free andfun, but if you're not out of
(26:54):
your comfort zone, you're notdoing the right thing.
And so, as he was, we spentcountless hours on that little
project and he was so proud andso was I.
So I just say that the youngpeople do what's right.
You know the difference betweenright and wrong.
You really do.
Bianca Barquin (27:14):
Great advice, great lessons for all of our
young folks out there.
So I have two last questionsfor you before we get to our
amplifying segment, where weamplify somebody else's message.
How do you view the role ofwomen in the civil rights
movement, both historically andtoday?
Dorothy Mulkey (27:37):
I think historically, women were quiet.
They were behind the scenes,they were to walk behind the man
, whereas now they walk side byside and sometimes in front of
the man.
I think women have come intotheir own right and they know
that a true leader does not turnback.
(27:59):
You have a goal, you doeverything possible to
accomplish that goal.
Bianca Barquin (28:05):
I love it, which leads right into my last
question for you, Dorothy.
What have you learned byleading by example and through
your own experiences through allof this?
Dorothy Mulkey (28:21):
I think the most important thing I've learned is
that you have to be honest withwhatever it is, because people
can, they can detect that, theyknow when you're being real
versus when you're being lights,camera, action.
And I know because for 35 yearsas a telephone company employee
(28:44):
, I was a telephone pioneerwhere we did community service
work and we did really bigprojects and my key part was for
older people, convalescenthomes, teenage pregnancies,
little kids that didn't haveenough to eat.
There were so many projectsthat we funded, that helped so
(29:09):
many people and we didn't havelights and camera in action on
most of them until some of theprojects got so big that the
company realized they neededthat publicity and they kind of
homed in on it.
But the work we did for thosemarginalized people just really
turned me on because the more Igot, the more I wanted to give.
(29:33):
People were hungry forattention.
You'd go to a nursing home andsome of the people did not
receive relatives' visits.
They would drop them off andcome in on holidays to say hello
, and so that kind of work forthe marginalized, the
disadvantaged is what I still do.
(29:53):
That's just what I do.
Bianca Barquin (29:56):
It's authentic care, right, care for others.
I think that's amazing and it'sclear that authenticity is one
of your core values.
I so appreciate that about you.
So, Dorothy, last part of thepodcast for us, if you could
amplify the message or lesson ofsomeone who's made a
(30:18):
significant impact in yourjourney, who would it be and
what is that resonating message?
Dorothy Mulkey (30:31):
That is an easy question to answer and that for
sure would be my mom.
My mom was the driving forcebehind everything that I've
accomplished.
She was a strong-willed woman.
That's why she and I buttedheads so many times, because she
made me like this, she made mestrong, and then she couldn't
handle it because I would notback down from her.
Bianca Barquin (30:52):
That is so powerful, and what a beautiful
tribute to your mom.
I thank her for everything shedid to make you the person that
you are today, because you'vedone so much for us.
So, Dorothy, can you tell memore about your mom and her
level of education and what sheactually did to support you and
(31:15):
your siblings?
Dorothy Mulkey (31:18):
Yes, my mom was the elder sister in the family.
She had three younger sisters,so that when she was in the
eighth grade, her mom, and hermom was 32 years old when she
passed, my mom, Anna, had tobecome the mother for her
younger sisters, so she quitschool and she became her
(31:43):
sister's mom.
She took care of the house, shetook care of the bills, because
her dad, my grandfather, turnedinto an alcoholic and most of
the time he didn't know what wasgoing on.
So my mom had to step up andbecome the mom, the bill payer,
(32:04):
all that stuff at such an earlyage, and she handled it.
My aunts were three, maybe fouryears younger and they were like
two years apart.
So she saw them through schooland she became a mother at 19
(32:24):
years old with my brother, andthen when she married my dad
three years later, then I cametwo years later, and so, but my
two younger sisters were notborn before I left home.
I was already an adult at 18when they came along.
So through the years, as Iwould go home on vacation to
(32:50):
visit, they were strangers to mebecause I didn't know them and
they treated me like a secondmother, because they didn't know
me either.
But now that my mom has gone onto heaven and we are older, I
have become the mother figure inthe family and we have these
(33:10):
family Zoom calls every twomonths and it's just really.
.
.
I can't describe how it isbecause the grandkids, the
nieces, the nephews, myex-husband in New Mexico,
everybody's on that family Zoomcall.
And it started after thepandemic.
So the pandemic for us was alifesaver, because we would
(33:31):
never have done this had thatnot happened.
Bianca Barquin (33:35):
That is something beautiful that
definitely came out of thepandemic, how it brought your
whole family together.
I think that's incredible.
Another piece of informationthat you shared earlier with
your mom talking about her onlyhaving an eighth grade education
.
But she was thinking like afuturist, she was a planner.
(33:57):
You actually said she went tothe school of common sense.
Tell me a little bit more aboutthe planning that she did.
Dorothy Mulkey (34:05):
Well, it's really funny because when I was
in school, my mom, first of all,we didn't have kindergarten.
You went right into first grade.
But I didn't really need itbecause my mom had books.
She had 'Run, Jerry, Run'.
She had every book in the trade.
I knew my ABCs, I could writemy name, I knew where I lived, I
(34:28):
knew the phone, I knew all thatstuff that they wanted to skip
me from first grade to second.
But she said, 'No, I want hermaturity level is not where her
academic level is,' and so shewouldn't let them skip me.
So I stayed there.
But she drilled me and shedrilled me with books and I
(34:48):
followed her around in thekitchen and I was cooking at 7.
I was cooking turkeys and piesand stuff because I shadowed her
.
So, even though she didn't havethe formal education, she never
worked outside the home.
So it was her and I, and ifshe'd turn around in the kitchen
she'd step on me because I wasright behind her.
(35:14):
So all those years of personalone-on-one is why, when I left
home, I knew I was going to beindependent, because she had
made me that way.
Bianca Barquin (35:22):
That is so incredible.
Thank you for taking the timeand sharing that.
I think it's inspirational foranybody who's listening and for
everyone that has children orgrandchildren, nieces and
nephews to know that thoserelationships and that
one-on-one time is so incrediblyimportant.
(35:42):
We don't realize how much itimpacts us in the future.
It really helps us become whowe need to be, right?
So is there anything else thatyou think is important for our
listeners that you'd like toshare with us?
Dorothy Mulkey (36:00):
Yes, I would say to any parent take the time to
love on little Johnny today.
Tell him how great he is.
He already knows his faults,you don't have to point those
out to him, but tell him howgreat he is how important he is
to you and watch and see whathappens.
Bianca Barquin (36:24):
Thank you again, Dorothy, for being here.
This conversation is trulyinspirational and will help so
many.
Dorothy, your story is not justa chapter in history books.
It is a continuous source ofmotivation and a blueprint for
action in the face of injustice.
Your legacy teaches us thatwith determination and courage,
change is not only possible butinevitable.
(36:44):
Thank you for your enduringspirit and for joining us today
to share your remarkable journey.
To our listeners, we hope thisepisode leaves you enlightened
and inspired to advocate forjustice in your own communities.
Dorothy Mulkey's life remindsus that when we stand firm in
our convictions, we canchallenge the status quo and
(37:06):
create a more equitable society.
Thank you for tuning in toSAUSD's Amplifying Leadership.
Please join us next time as wecontinue to explore the stories
of leaders who dare to make adifference.
Greetings Amplifiers.
Our very special guest thisepisode is 84-year-old Santa Ana
resident, Dorothy Mulkey.
In 1963, the Rumford FairHousing Act made it illegal for
landlords to deny people housingbased on ethnicity, religion or
national origin in California.
The following year, Californiaballot Proposition 14 was passed
(00:29):
in response to counteract thelaw, reinstating racially
discriminatory housing practicesknown as redlining.
Dorothy Mulkey led the fight tooverturn Proposition 14,
bringing her case before theCalifornia Supreme Court in 1965
.
The Court determinedProposition 14 violated the 14th
Amendment, but the casecontinued upward to the Supreme
(00:49):
Court of the United States.
In 1967, the US Supreme Courtupheld the California court
ruling, delivering a victory toDorothy and others who faced
discriminatory housing practicesacross the US.
Bianca Barquin (01:03):
Greetings, Amplifiers, and welcome to
another episode of SAUSD'sAmplifying Leadership.
I'm your host, Bianca Barquin,and it's wonderful to be back
with you today to amplify thework of inspiring leaders who
are making a difference in thelives of our students, our local
community and beyond.
Today, as we illuminate thelife and legacy of an incredible
(01:26):
Santa Ana community advocate,we're joined by a truly heroic
figure whose journey is nothingshort of legendary.
With us today is Dorothy Mulkey, a resident of Santa Ana's
historic Little Texasneighborhood, a fierce advocate
for fair housing and civilrights, a courageous trailblazer
(01:48):
in the battle againstsegregation and an inspiration
to all who learn her story.
Dorothy's journey fromKentucky's coal country to the
steps of the US Supreme Court isa testament to the power of
resilience and the enduringfight for justice.
Dorothy, it's an absoluteprivilege to have you with us
(02:11):
here today.
Your journey from the coalmines of Kentucky to the highest
court in the land is trulyinspiring.
Thank you.
Dorothy Mulkey (02:20):
It's so good to be here.
Bianca Barquin (02:22):
So let's start at the beginning and I'm going
to get right into questions.
Tell us what your upbringingwas like and how did it shape
your views on justice andequality.
Dorothy Mulkey (02:34):
That's pretty simple.
I came from a family of four.
My brother was five years olderand I was the only daughter for
11 years until my mom hadanother baby which I considered
as my own.
So I went to a small schoolbecause obviously it was a small
(02:54):
town and there were twobuildings.
The front building was for theprimary kids and the big
building was from elementarythrough high school, so you
didn't have to walk very farabout two minutes from one
building to the other.
And the interesting thing aboutmy school was the fact that our
(03:17):
school teachers that taught usMonday through Friday were also
our Sunday school teachers onSunday.
So they knew everything aboutyou, your family.
If you get out of line, youcould expect not a phone call
but a visit.
So I thought that was veryunique.
We actually had almost likeprivate tutoring.
Bianca Barquin (03:41):
That is pretty incredible to have just like two
rooms, you said, in this smallbuilding.
That went all the way throughhigh school, in that your same
teachers were Sunday schoolteachers.
Talk about the relationshipsthat they had with you all as
students and with your familymembers too.
Dorothy Mulkey (03:58):
Absolutely.
Bianca Barquin (04:00):
So when did you actually move to California and
can you tell us about this areaknown as Little Texas?
Dorothy Mulkey (04:08):
Well, yes, there's a story in between.
When I graduated from highschool, I had gotten a
scholarship to Kentucky StateCollege, but my cousin and I,
Sandra, were in the samegraduating class had decided we
were going into the militaryinstead.
So Sandra went into the Armyand when I went to the Army
(04:30):
recruiter I said no, becausetheir uniforms were brown and
didn't look good on me.
So I go, 'I need to go tosomeone that has more colorful
uniforms,' and so that reason Ichose the Navy, which I went
into after several months,because my mom was determined I
was not going into the military.
But I convinced my dad becausehe was on my side, and that's
(04:53):
how I got in.
Bianca Barquin (04:55):
Incredible and you look amazing and so
fashionable today.
I think that that is beautiful.
So once you were in themilitary and then you emerged
from service, right, is thatwhen you moved to California?
Dorothy Mulkey (05:09):
Absolutely.
The story in between that (05:10):
one year before my enlistment was up
, I met Lincoln Mulkey and theonly reason he attracted me was
because he was very tall and Icame from a very short family.
So I had decided as a kid thatI was going to marry a tall man,
(05:30):
have three kids and a whitepicket fence.
And he met the goal that I hadset.
He was like six feet four and Iwas almost 5'1", so I knew that
we would have tall kids andthat's what motivated me.
Bianca Barquin (05:46):
That's amazing.
So you made all your dreamscome true.
Dorothy Mulkey (05:52):
I
I love it, and I love that youalways knew what you wanted.
Absolutely.
Bianca Barquin (05:58):
So you all moved to
Dorothy Mulkey (06:01):
Yes, he was actually from California.
His dad lived in Santa Ana.
He had graduated from RiversideHigh School, but he didn't get
to march with his graduationclass because he had joined the
Navy and the class that hewanted to attend started before
graduation day.
So, even though he received hisdiploma, he did not march
(06:24):
because he had to go to bootcamp to get into the class he
wanted.
Bianca Barquin (06:28):
Wow, okay, so he was natively from California
and Santa Ana, so tell me moreabout Little Texas.
What is Little Texas?
Dorothy Mulkey (06:38):
Little Texas is a group of streets that range
from Raitt Street to well pastCivic Center Drive.
It's an area that was primarilyfor people that were not
Caucasian.
Bianca Barquin (06:53):
Okay.
Dorothy Mulkey (06:53):
People of color.
Bianca Barquin (06:55):
Here in Santa Ana.
Dorothy Mulkey (06:56):
Here
Bianca Barquin (06:57):
And is that where you all lived when you
moved to California?
Dorothy Mulkey (07:01):
Yes, my dad-- father-in-law, call him my dad,
had a home on South TownsendStreet and so, because I was
seven months pregnant when wecame, we moved in with them till
the baby came.
And then, when my daughterMichelle was about three months
old, I knew it was time to lookfor an apartment because I was
(07:22):
then able to take care of ahouse.
So that's when the journeystarted, when I began to look
for a house and we knew thatthere were new apartment
buildings really close to us,because my husband at the time
was a letter carrier and on hisroute he observed these three
blocks of new apartments.
(07:45):
There were duplexes andtwo-story and brand new, never
been lived in places.
And that's what caught myattention the fact that we
needed a house and I wantedsomething brand new for my new
baby.
Bianca Barquin (07:59):
Yeah, and you were now at a place where you
could have your own home andtake care of your own apartment.
Is that when you and yourhusband first started to
encounter housing discriminationhere in Orange County?
Dorothy Mulkey (08:13):
Yes, that's when we started to look for
apartments.
I had looked in the Register tosee the places that he had told
me about on his route and theyactually had listings in the
Orange County Register.
So I called.
I called three apartments andmade appointments to come by and
(08:33):
see the places, and those threewere on West Brook Street, West
Highland and West Bishop.
Bianca Barquin (08:42):
And what happened?
Did you go to your appointmentsafter you made them?
Dorothy Mulkey (08:46):
Absolutely.
He got off at five o'clock andso we made all the appointments
for six o'clock on differentdays.
So the first one we went to wasthe one on West Bishop and I
could see, as we were walking in, that someone was observing us
from the window, from thecurtains.
So when we knocked on the door,the lady came and she said, 'Oh
(09:11):
, are you the lady I talked toon the phone?
' I said yeah, I'm Dottie Mulkey.
And she said, 'I'm just sosorry to tell you but we have no
vacancies.
' And we knew she was lyingbecause, as I said, they were on
his mail route.
He delivered packages andletters to that same address
(09:34):
daily and he knew that over halfof the apartments were vacant.
So we thanked her for her timeand left.
The next day we went to the oneon Brook Street.
It was the same story.
We were just a few minutes toolate.
It was like they had talked toeach other.
(09:57):
So being defeated but notgiving up is when the journey
really began.
Because that very next Saturday, when I went to the beauty shop
on 5th and Bristol and I wassitting in a chair next to a
lady that I didn't know, but shewas obviously an official for
(10:18):
the NAACP that knew my dad.
So when she wanted to know howthings were and I told her about
the apartment search, she said,'I think I may be able to help
(10:38):
you.
'
Bianca Barquin (10:38):
That is amazing that this chance encounter at
the beauty shop got you thesupport that you needed to take
your next steps in the journey.
So is that when you decided tochallenge Prop 14?
How did you feel at that time?
I mean, were you nervous abouttaking on this.
.
.
s o tell me more about yourstory.
Dorothy Mulkey (10:57):
On the Saturday that I had the conversation with
Scottie Biddle.
I didn't even know whatProposition 14 was, so there was
no plan.
All I knew was that we werelooking for an apartment and she
was going to help us facilitatethat.
So she made arrangements for usto attend the next NAACP
(11:20):
meeting, which was at a school,I think it was Monte Vista, and
she presented our dilemma to thegroup and they all bought into
it without thinking, because thesituation was that we were not
the only people that had beendenied access to apartments
(11:40):
because of color.
We were just the first ones tomake it known and try to do
something about it.
Bianca Barquin (11:49):
That is incredible.
So at some point was the ACLUalso involved, or just the NAACP
?
Dorothy Mulkey (11:57):
The ACLU was very much involved in it, also
because the NAACP at that timedid not have enough people or
leadership to handle what wasabout to take place.
Bianca Barquin (12:11):
Got it.
So what was the next step inthe journey after that meeting
at Monte Vista, right?
Dorothy Mulkey (12:17):
Yes, the next step was that a bunch of lawyers
got together and I believe thelead attorney was David Cadwell
from Los Angeles.
He had a large practice and Istill to this day don't
understand how he had enoughtime to call us almost weekly as
they were formulating the planto present our case.
(12:39):
But I mean, I'd see the phoneringing and I knew it was David
because he would always call atthe same time and he literally
walked us through from beginningto end what to expect and he
said to me, he said, 'Youunderstand, there's going to be
haters out there and you'regoing to experience things that
(13:00):
you've never experienced before.
If you really want to gothrough with this, we will back
you, but if you don't, we'llunderstand.
' And so I said to him once westart, we can't back down.
We have to do this.
We're going all the way,whatever that takes.
And I jokingly said to him, mychild, Michelle was about six
(13:23):
months old then, I said, witheverything going on, this case
will probably be finished by thetime she's in high school.
That was a joke and that was1963.
And it actually took four yearsfor the case to go through and
for us to come out successful.
Bianca Barquin (13:42):
Four years.
That's an incredibly long time.
So what were your experiencesduring those four years?
What were you able to do?
Here you are a new mom takingon all of this and you have an
attorney calling you everysingle week to kind of give you
updates, right, and to brief youon what's happening related to
(14:05):
the case.
Dorothy Mulkey (14:06):
Well, the interim period was really as
exciting as the wait for thehousing because my dad, Lincoln
Mulkey Sr.
that worked for Tom Keyes, alocal realtor, Dad Mulkey
actually maintained the modelhomes for Mr.
Keyes so he had access to a lotof material things when the
(14:28):
apartments and houses were sold.
So he told me that when I waslooking for a job, Dad Mulkey
said you know, daughter, thatyou're probably going to have to
babysit or act as a maid orsomething, because the Blacks in
Santa Ana don't work in banksand places like that.
And I said, why not?
He said well, they just don't.
(14:49):
So that motivated me.
The very next day I went toBank of America on North Main
Street in Santa Ana, talked withthe operations manager and he
was just kind of in awe that Ihad come out of the military and
I had this young child and soforth, so he hired me on the
(15:11):
spot.
So when you say no to me, thatjust motivates me.
Bianca Barquin (15:18):
That is such.
.
.
It's an incredible story, numberone.
But your courage and yourability to overcome adversity is
inspirational.
What do you think gives youthat courage?
Dorothy Mulkey (15:31):
My mom My mom told me as a little child, she
said, 'You are so special thatyou are a born leader that no
one will be able to keep youfrom whatever it is that you
want if you set your mind to it.
' And I bought into that story,I believed it.
Bianca Barquin (15:58):
As you should, and I hope for our listeners out
there that everyone who has achild is doing the exact same
thing, because what you've beenable to accomplish is incredible
and it's done so much not onlyfor you, but for so many others.
I mean, you are a trailblazer.
So tell me more about your case, and what was it like to see
(16:20):
your case reach the SupremeCourt, because that's how far it
went, and how did you preparefor that?
Dorothy Mulkey (16:28):
Well, actually I didn't have to prepare for
anything because the legal teamthat we had, with David Cadwell
as the helmsman, all they didwas do what lawyers do.
They gathered the information,all of it.
They interviewed a whole bunchof people, we told our story and
(16:50):
we just sat back and wait.
The case originally went to theCalifornia Supreme Court, which
they upheld the validity ofProposition 14.
Bianca Barquin (17:02):
Wow.
Dorothy Mulkey (17:04):
But the story wasn't over, and again David
said, 'Do you want to go to thehighest court in the land?
' I go, we have nothing to lose.
So then the prep started andthey presented the case and it
won.
It was a 5-4 decision, but awin is a win.
Bianca Barquin (17:28):
And how did you feel?
Dorothy Mulkey (17:29):
I felt like I was out of body.
I felt like it was surrealbecause at that time I was
working for United CaliforniaBank, which was across the
street from Bank of Americabecause they offered me more
money and I took it, and so theoperations manager said that I
had like an emergency phone calland when I took it, it was
(17:53):
David saying you need to gethome.
Something miraculous hashappened and I knew.
But when I got home, I thinkthat all the local TV stations,
Channel 5, Channel 2, Channel 7,were there, reporters were all
over the place and my husbandhad come in from the post office
.
We were just dumbfounded, wejust.
(18:16):
.
.
it was like, as I said, anout-of-body experience that it
had finally come to fruitionafter all those years.
Bianca Barquin (18:26):
Four years later , four years later and what a
difference, right, from theCalifornia Supreme Court versus
the US Supreme Court.
Dorothy Mulkey (18:36):
Absolutely.
Bianca Barquin (18:37):
Now, did you encounter any struggles, any
hate, anything like that duringthose four years?
Dorothy Mulkey (18:47):
You could say that.
Bianca Barquin (18:49):
You did?
Dorothy Mulkey (18:49):
Yes.
Bianca Barquin (18:50):
Can you tell us a little bit about it and how
did you keep your family safeand how did you keep your own
morale up?
I think it'd be good forlisteners anybody who's
encountering adversity now orgoing through a struggle just to
remain strong.
So I would love to hear some ofyour advice or suggestions.
Dorothy Mulkey (19:12):
There were a lot of phone calls.
A lot of people that wereafraid to be seen called and
they said all kinds of uglythings on the phone and, as I
said, my father-in-law wasthreatened by Tom Keyes that he
would lose his job if he didn'tcontrol his daughter-in-law.
Bianca Barquin (19:33):
Wow.
Dorothy Mulkey (19:33):
And so I told Dad well, get ready, you may
have to look for a different job, because I'm not backing down,
but I'm not threatened bymalicious people, because I have
faith.
And my faith is so muchstronger than my fear that if He
wanted something to happen tome, He would have let it, but He
(19:55):
didn't allow that.
So I already knew.
I knew when we filed that wewere going to win this case.
I already knew that it's just amatter of time.
But if He has a calling on you,if He has something for you,
nothing or nobody can take itaway.
Bianca Barquin (20:14):
Is that what kept your entire family strong?
Because you all needed to bestrong as a unit, right, when
you're encountering all of thesechallenges, from your
father-in-law to your parents,you, your husband, your children
, you know.
Dorothy Mulkey (20:30):
Yeah, and my father-in-law was a deacon in
the church.
He was a man of God, you know.
He gave people advice and soforth, but he was weak when it
came to his own and I don'tdoubt him for that.
But it was okay because in theend, when we won the case, all
of a sudden he got his faith inme back.
He loved me again, you know.
(20:51):
But it's okay, becausesometimes people don't buy into
your dream because they can'tsee it.
It's for you and oftentimes youlet people steal your dream
because they can't see it.
But you have to hold strong toyour faith.
You have to believe in yourselfand if you believe in it strong
(21:15):
enough, pretty soon others willcatch on.
Bianca Barquin (21:19):
I love that.
I think that that is soinspiring, so important and
great wisdom for people to beaware of.
Sometimes people don't buy intoyour dreams because they can't
see it.
So true.
So you mentioned once because Iwatched a couple previous
interviews that doing nothingwas not an option when faced
(21:44):
with discrimination.
What inner strength did youdraw on during this time when
people were doubting or possiblygetting you to change your mind
or drop the case?
I mean, is it your faith?
Dorothy Mulkey (22:00):
It's definitely my faith and I guess my knees
are kind of rusty now because Istayed on them a lot and I have
an intimate relationship with mySavior.
It's not a casual, it's neverbeen a casual, it's been
personal, and when I call uponHim I don't have time to play, I
don't have time to, 'Lord, Ithink,' it's 'Lord, I know.
(22:23):
I know you hear me, I knowyou're there for me, I'm one of
yours.
' So there was never any doubtin my mind that we would not
come out victorious.
Bianca Barquin (22:36):
I love your strength, I love your resilience
.
Okay, so now let's get intoleadership a little bit.
What qualities do you believeare essential for leaders who
are taking on challenges likethese in the civil rights
movement in anything, especiallyin today's context?
(22:58):
What qualities should leaderspossess?
Dorothy Mulkey (23:05):
I think you have to know the cause that you're
fighting for and if you believein it, then give it 100%.
If you don't believe in it, getout of the way and let somebody
else do it.
Bianca Barquin (23:13):
Beautifully stated.
I love it.
I love it.
So how important, going back toyour case specifically, was the
support of your local communityduring your legal fight?
Did it help you through theprocess?
Did it influence the outcome?
I'm thinking about you livingin Little Texas, here in Santa
Ana.
Dorothy Mulkey (23:34):
Yeah, I think that Miss Scottie Biddle, who
was a relative of Annie MayTripp, who founded the Southwest
Community Center, played anintegral part in my journey,
because Miss Scottie was, andshe was a little lady.
She was actually shorter than Iam and I'm, like I said, almost
5'1", so she must have beenabout 4'9".
(23:56):
But she was a giant of a ladyand I had a lot of one-on-one
meetings with her.
I had a lot of one-on-onemeetings with Miss Annie Mae
Tripp from the SouthwestCommunity Center.
And my mother-in-law, whosename is Dorothy also, was
instrumental once we had gottenpast the first hurdle, because
(24:19):
she obviously was devoted to myfather-in-law and she tried to
be on the same page.
But she finally came over to myside and I didn't have to
convince her to do that, becauseone thing about me, I won't try
to bring you over to my side.
You either buy into it or youdon't.
I don't try to change youropinion.
Bianca Barquin (24:47):
So tell me something.
Do you believe the fair housingmovement has made enough
progress since your case, or arethere still challenges we need
to overcome?
Dorothy Mulkey (24:52):
Oh, there's progress that has been made, but
the challenges are still there,because the haters are still
out there and they don'tnecessarily just hate on one,
they just hate on people ofcolor, whatever the ethnicity is
, and I think that things areprobably more undercover now
(25:12):
than they were and even thoughhousing has opened up, if you
have the money to move, to payfor wherever you want to move,
but now the problem is thathousing is so high that the
average person has to rent.
They can't afford to buy.
Bianca Barquin (25:31):
That's true.
That is true.
The housing market it's soexpensive.
Dorothy Mulkey (25:34):
Yeah.
Bianca Barquin (25:36):
I'm thinking about the students that we
actually serve in Santa Ana, myown son.
What advice would you give toyoung people today who want to
advocate for social justice andequality?
Dorothy Mulkey (25:49):
I would say to the young people, and especially
to my grandkids, I have sixgrandkids, three grandsons and
three granddaughters, and myyoungest grandson, who graduated
from UC Davis, said to me, hewas about 10th grade.
He said, he said, 'Grandma, wehave to do a project at school,'
(26:10):
he was going to Segerstrom, 'onwho your hero is and you're my
hero.
Can I do a video on you?
' And that had to be thesweetest thing anybody had ever
said to me, that this teenagerwanted to do a video because I
was his hero.
And so we did the basics.
(26:31):
He took the film, took thepictures and so forth, and he
aced the class, obviouslybecause of that.
So I would say to young peoplejust do what makes you feel good
, and you know what that is,because doing what is right,
there's a cost to it.
It's not free.
Doing what is wrong is free andfun, but if you're not out of
(26:54):
your comfort zone, you're notdoing the right thing.
And so, as he was, we spentcountless hours on that little
project and he was so proud andso was I.
So I just say that the youngpeople do what's right.
You know the difference betweenright and wrong.
You really do.
Bianca Barquin (27:14):
Great advice, great lessons for all of our
young folks out there.
So I have two last questionsfor you before we get to our
amplifying segment, where weamplify somebody else's message.
How do you view the role ofwomen in the civil rights
movement, both historically andtoday?
Dorothy Mulkey (27:37):
I think historically, women were quiet.
They were behind the scenes,they were to walk behind the man
, whereas now they walk side byside and sometimes in front of
the man.
I think women have come intotheir own right and they know
that a true leader does not turnback.
(27:59):
You have a goal, you doeverything possible to
accomplish that goal.
Bianca Barquin (28:05):
I love it, which leads right into my last
question for you, Dorothy.
What have you learned byleading by example and through
your own experiences through allof this?
Dorothy Mulkey (28:21):
I think the most important thing I've learned is
that you have to be honest withwhatever it is, because people
can, they can detect that, theyknow when you're being real
versus when you're being lights,camera, action.
And I know because for 35 yearsas a telephone company employee
(28:44):
, I was a telephone pioneerwhere we did community service
work and we did really bigprojects and my key part was for
older people, convalescenthomes, teenage pregnancies,
little kids that didn't haveenough to eat.
There were so many projectsthat we funded, that helped so
(29:09):
many people and we didn't havelights and camera in action on
most of them until some of theprojects got so big that the
company realized they neededthat publicity and they kind of
homed in on it.
But the work we did for thosemarginalized people just really
turned me on because the more Igot, the more I wanted to give.
(29:33):
People were hungry forattention.
You'd go to a nursing home andsome of the people did not
receive relatives' visits.
They would drop them off andcome in on holidays to say hello
, and so that kind of work forthe marginalized, the
disadvantaged is what I still do.
(29:53):
That's just what I do.
Bianca Barquin (29:56):
It's authentic care, right, care for others.
I think that's amazing and it'sclear that authenticity is one
of your core values.
I so appreciate that about you.
So, Dorothy, last part of thepodcast for us, if you could
amplify the message or lesson ofsomeone who's made a
(30:18):
significant impact in yourjourney, who would it be and
what is that resonating message?
Dorothy Mulkey (30:31):
That is an easy question to answer and that for
sure would be my mom.
My mom was the driving forcebehind everything that I've
accomplished.
She was a strong-willed woman.
That's why she and I buttedheads so many times, because she
made me like this, she made mestrong, and then she couldn't
handle it because I would notback down from her.
Bianca Barquin (30:52):
That is so powerful, and what a beautiful
tribute to your mom.
I thank her for everything shedid to make you the person that
you are today, because you'vedone so much for us.
So, Dorothy, can you tell memore about your mom and her
level of education and what sheactually did to support you and
(31:15):
your siblings?
Dorothy Mulkey (31:18):
Yes, my mom was the elder sister in the family.
She had three younger sisters,so that when she was in the
eighth grade, her mom, and hermom was 32 years old when she
passed, my mom, Anna, had tobecome the mother for her
younger sisters, so she quitschool and she became her
(31:43):
sister's mom.
She took care of the house, shetook care of the bills, because
her dad, my grandfather, turnedinto an alcoholic and most of
the time he didn't know what wasgoing on.
So my mom had to step up andbecome the mom, the bill payer,
(32:04):
all that stuff at such an earlyage, and she handled it.
My aunts were three, maybe fouryears younger and they were like
two years apart.
So she saw them through schooland she became a mother at 19
(32:24):
years old with my brother, andthen when she married my dad
three years later, then I cametwo years later, and so, but my
two younger sisters were notborn before I left home.
I was already an adult at 18when they came along.
So through the years, as Iwould go home on vacation to
(32:50):
visit, they were strangers to mebecause I didn't know them and
they treated me like a secondmother, because they didn't know
me either.
But now that my mom has gone onto heaven and we are older, I
have become the mother figure inthe family and we have these
(33:10):
family Zoom calls every twomonths and it's just really.
.
.
I can't describe how it isbecause the grandkids, the
nieces, the nephews, myex-husband in New Mexico,
everybody's on that family Zoomcall.
And it started after thepandemic.
So the pandemic for us was alifesaver, because we would
(33:31):
never have done this had thatnot happened.
Bianca Barquin (33:35):
That is something beautiful that
definitely came out of thepandemic, how it brought your
whole family together.
I think that's incredible.
Another piece of informationthat you shared earlier with
your mom talking about her onlyhaving an eighth grade education
.
But she was thinking like afuturist, she was a planner.
(33:57):
You actually said she went tothe school of common sense.
Tell me a little bit more aboutthe planning that she did.
Dorothy Mulkey (34:05):
Well, it's really funny because when I was
in school, my mom, first of all,we didn't have kindergarten.
You went right into first grade.
But I didn't really need itbecause my mom had books.
She had 'Run, Jerry, Run'.
She had every book in the trade.
I knew my ABCs, I could writemy name, I knew where I lived, I
(34:28):
knew the phone, I knew all thatstuff that they wanted to skip
me from first grade to second.
But she said, 'No, I want hermaturity level is not where her
academic level is,' and so shewouldn't let them skip me.
So I stayed there.
But she drilled me and shedrilled me with books and I
(34:48):
followed her around in thekitchen and I was cooking at 7.
I was cooking turkeys and piesand stuff because I shadowed her
.
So, even though she didn't havethe formal education, she never
worked outside the home.
So it was her and I, and ifshe'd turn around in the kitchen
she'd step on me because I wasright behind her.
(35:14):
So all those years of personalone-on-one is why, when I left
home, I knew I was going to beindependent, because she had
made me that way.
Bianca Barquin (35:22):
That is so incredible.
Thank you for taking the timeand sharing that.
I think it's inspirational foranybody who's listening and for
everyone that has children orgrandchildren, nieces and
nephews to know that thoserelationships and that
one-on-one time is so incrediblyimportant.
(35:42):
We don't realize how much itimpacts us in the future.
It really helps us become whowe need to be, right?
So is there anything else thatyou think is important for our
listeners that you'd like toshare with us?
Dorothy Mulkey (36:00):
Yes, I would say to any parent take the time to
love on little Johnny today.
Tell him how great he is.
He already knows his faults,you don't have to point those
out to him, but tell him howgreat he is how important he is
to you and watch and see whathappens.
Bianca Barquin (36:24):
Thank you again, Dorothy, for being here.
This conversation is trulyinspirational and will help so
many.
Dorothy, your story is not justa chapter in history books.
It is a continuous source ofmotivation and a blueprint for
action in the face of injustice.
Your legacy teaches us thatwith determination and courage,
change is not only possible butinevitable.
(36:44):
Thank you for your enduringspirit and for joining us today
to share your remarkable journey.
To our listeners, we hope thisepisode leaves you enlightened
and inspired to advocate forjustice in your own communities.
Dorothy Mulkey's life remindsus that when we stand firm in
our convictions, we canchallenge the status quo and
(37:06):
create a more equitable society.
Thank you for tuning in toSAUSD's Amplifying Leadership.
Please join us next time as wecontinue to explore the stories
of leaders who dare to make adifference.
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