Politics / Civil rights & activism
Maryann Mahaffey
1925–2006 · social work professor, city council president
Wayne State social work professor and democratic socialist who served on the Detroit City Council for 32 years (1974–2005), twice as its president, championing women's rights and the poor.
- Born
Burlington, Iowa- Died
aged 81- Detroit years
- 1950s–2006
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Maryann Mahaffey grew up in Iowa and graduated from Cornell College in 1946. A summer job in 1945 as recreation director at the Poston internment camp for Japanese Americans convinced her the camp held citizens only because of their ancestry, and she turned to social work, earning a master's at the University of Southern California. She came to Detroit and taught at Wayne State University's School of Social Work. Elected to the Detroit City Council in 1973, she served from 1974 until 2005, one of the few members of the Democratic Socialists of America ever to hold major public office, and was council president from 1990 to 1998 and again from 2001 to 2005. She won a lawsuit allowing women to run for office under their own names, pressed to open the Detroit Athletic Club to women, helped pass an ordinance against sexual harassment of city employees and fought to keep the city's main public hospital open. She died in 2006.
Highlights
- Detroit City Council member, 1974–2005
- Council president, 1990–1998 and 2001–2005
- Won the right for women to run for office under their birth names
- Professor at Wayne State University's School of Social Work
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1974–2005
The Spirit of Detroit
Seat of the City Council, where she served for 32 years.
Worked here · 1950s–1990s
Wayne State University School of Social Work
She taught social work here; the school runs a legacy campaign in her name.