Mona Perry has been fighting poverty and racism for 88 years and these efforts have not gone unnoticed. She was recently inducted into the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame for her work as an advocate with the American Indian Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
She was born in Hodgen, Oklahoma. Her father was an original Choctaw enrollee and her mother was an original Cherokee enrollee.
Perry said that growing up in the 1930’s as a tribal member was much different than today. She said she recognized injustice from a very young age.
She said there were times that the young Native American children were forced to wait until the white children had been fed in food assistance lines before they could eat. “This said in a few words that I was different from the rest of the kids,” said Perry.
This experience spurred her desire to see people treated equally regardless of ethnicity. It also fueled her desire to help the poor and underprivileged.
“When I was in training for employment counseling, early in my training days, I saw then that the minority people and the poor were treated differently. That right there really put something in my mind right then,” she said.
Later this desire led her to begin a career with the American Indian Center. Perry said the majority of her job with the American Indian Center was to understand how the government aid and benefit programs worked so that she could explain it to people who needed assistance.
“I had to understand the system in order to explain it to them,” She said.
Although Perry worked primarily as an employment specialist but her dedication to equality didn’t stop at her job. Her entire life was focused on this goal. She has volunteered in several organizations including the Homeless Service Coalition, Stand for Children and KC Harmony.
Perry has received four certificates of service as a member of the Missouri Advisory Council for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 2014 she was honored with the Martin Luther King Olathe Kansas NAACP Hero of Diversity Award.
According to their website, the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing extraordinary Kansas City women and preserving the history of their accomplishments.
These women are social reformers, volunteers, philanthropists, civic leaders, activists and educators. They are movers and shakers whose tireless commitment to community has made Kansas City a better place to live.
The Hall of Fame is a repository for their legacies. By sharing their stories, the Hall of Fame encourages and inspires women everywhere. Perry said she was honored to be an inductee.
Perry was recently recognized at the Poteau community center. Chief Gary Batton and the tribal council recognized her lifelong work and her recent induction into the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame.
Although she is now retired, Perry said she still tries to help people any way she can. She wants people to pick up where she left off and continue to help the poor and underprivileged.
“I left a lot of unfinished business. I fought poverty but didn’t win it,” she said.