MAE STREET KIDD

 
(Bourbon County, 1904-1999) Mae Street Kidd was an innovative business woman, civic leader and a skilled politician during a time when her gender and interracial background could have proved a detriment. She served in the KY General Assembly for 17 years successfully sponsoring a resolution ratifying the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which freed slaves and gave them the rights of citizenship, thus closing a dark chapter of Kentucky history. In 1972, Kidd sponsored House Bill 27, which created the Kentucky Housing Corporation to help finance low-income housing in Kentucky. During her service in the General Assembly, Kidd became the first woman to serve on the Rules Committee. Kidd’s life and career are chronicled in Passing for Black, by Wade Hall.