Mae C. King

Mae Coates King (June 24, 1938 – November 4, 2022) was an American political scientist. She was a professor of political science at Howard University, and a professor emerita as of 2017. She conducted early studies on the politics and international relations of African states, particularly the international relations of Nigeria, as well as research on the history of the Congressional Black Caucus and the status of African American women in American politics.

King died in Montgomery County, Maryland on November 4, 2022, at the age of 84.

Early life King was born in a rural part of Lee County, Arkansas, on June 24, 1938, to a family with 5 sisters and 4 brothers. Her father was a farmer and a Baptist preacher, and her mother was a housewife. When she was 6 years old, her family moved to Aubrey, Arkansas.

Civil rights activism During the late 1950s and early 1960s, King was a student activist involved in the civil rights movement. As a student at Bishop College, she became the Chair of the local chapter of the National Student Young Women's Christian Association. She was also a founder or an early leader of the National Council of Negro Women and the African Studies Association, and a Vice President of the International Association of Black Professionals in International Affairs.

King went on what was originally meant to be a one-year sabbatical from American Political Science Association to Nigeria in 1975. There, she joined the department of political science at the University of Benin. This one-year sabbatical turned into a 14 year stay when she left that faculty in 1989. Upon return, King joined the political science department at Howard University, where she had previously taught.

In 1996, King published the book Basic currents of Nigerian foreign policy. This was said to be one of the first works of political science to systematically study the politics of African countries and the role of African states in the international system. In 2020, Basic currents of Nigerian foreign policy was included on a list by Adolphus G. Belk, Jr., Robert C. Smith, and Sherri L. Wallace of "pioneering efforts" that "raised the profile of Black Politics research and inspired future Black academicians", which contributed to Black Politics being recognized as a legitimate area of scientific inquiry. and Sherri L. Wallace et al. termed "her groundbreaking interventions on 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".

In a January 2020 review of the history of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, written for the inaugural issue of the National Review of Black Politics, Sherri L. Wallace et al. wrote that King "has paved the way for a generation of Black political scientists generally, and Black female political scientists particularly", and that 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".

Selected works "Oppression and Power: The Unique Status of the Black Woman in the American Political System", Social Science Quarterly (1975) "The Politics of Sexual Stereotypes", Journal of Black Studies and Research (1982) Basic Currents of Nigerian Foreign Policy (1996)