User:JessOC/Marie Foster

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Marie Priscilla Martin Foster (October 24, 1917 – September 6, 2003) was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. during the 1960. Her successful voter registration in Dallas County, Alabama fueled her to become an activist, and she began teaching adult classes to help people pass the required literacy tests. She was the force behind convincing Martin Luther King Jr. to come to Selma, Alabama and helped organize the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Her dedication gave her the moniker "The Mother of the Voting Rights Movement," which was shortened as people began to fondly call her Mother Foster.

Early Life and Education
Marie Foster was born Maria Priscilla Martin on October 24, 1917 near Alberta, Alabama in the Black Belt. Like the rest of the South, Wilcox County, Alabama was segregated, and educational opportunities were limited for Black students. Going against her husband's wishes, Foster's mother moved her and her siblings to Selma to ensure her children got the best education they could.

Though her siblings graduated, Foster dropped out after she met a man and got married. She had three children, whom she raised alone after her husband's death. Determined to finish her education and provide the best she could for her children, she went back to school, graduating a year after her daughter, Rose.

Foster then enrolled in a local junior college to become a dental hygienist. After completing her training, she worked for her brother, Dr. Sullivan Jackson in a local practice in Selma.