The Wise Words of an Old Washerwoman from Mississippi
Oseola McCarty died in 1999 at age 91 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where she had
lived her entire life. Because she had to provide care of a sick aunt, her education ended in
the 6th grade.
For nearly 75 years she worked as a washerwoman, washing the clothes by hand.
Even though some people had given her a washing machine sometime in the 1960’s, Ms.
McCarty refused to use it. She felt it just couldn’t do as good a job as she could with soap,
a hot tub of water, and a washboard. She was paid in dollar bills, coins, a handful of cash.
When the arthritis in her hands made it impossible to do the work, she finally
retired. By then, having lived a simple life for decades, she had $280,000 in the bank. She
had made friends with some of the staff at the bank who advised her about her savings.
And because of this connection, when Ms. McCarty decided to donate part of the money to
a worthy cause, she established a scholarship fund for female African-American students at
the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). She wanted these young women to have
opportunities she never had, and the hope for a bright future.
The university is right there in Hattiesburg. She had never been to the campus.
It was a different world.
She put $150,000 in the fund! And 60% of her estate would be added when she
would pass away. (The other 40% was for her church and three friends.)
Deeply moved by Ms. McCarty’s act, other individuals in the local community
supplemented her initial donation, doubling the total in the fund.
Once her Tzedakah fund began to give out scholarships, she met some of the
students. Pictures and videos of their meetings are so beautiful and moving, there is
nothing to be embarrassed about tearing up when you look at them
As the story of Ms. McCarty’s donation spread, many honors follower, including an
honorary doctorate from USM and Harvard. There is a life-size bronze sculpture of her on
the campus sitting in a chair. Particularly striking is another part of the sculpture: Next to
Ms. McCarty is an empty chair, and people are welcome to sit next to her.
All this is an introduction to why this has been placed in this anthology:
Many media naturally wanted to cover her story. One particular account touched
me very deeply:
When a journalist from Parade Magazine asked her
why she didn’t spend the money on herself,
she replied,
“I am spending it on myself.”
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