22 Facts About Marie Foster

Marie Priscilla Martin Foster was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement in the US during the 1960s.

Marie Foster was a member of the Dallas County Voters League, the Alabama foot soldier that convinced Martin Luther King Jr.

Marie Foster's dedication gave her the moniker "The Mother of the Voting Rights Movement," which was shortened to Mother Foster.

Marie Foster was born Maria Priscilla Martin on October 24,1917, near Alberta, Alabama in the Black Belt.

Marie Foster had three children, whom she raised alone after her husband, James Foster's death.

Marie Foster then enrolled in a local junior college to become a dental hygienist.

Marie Foster was not immune to it or ignored for her work, but her economic independence meant she could work for her right to vote.

The Dallas County Voters League, an organization found in the mid-1920s with about a dozen members including Marie Foster, worked closely in gaining the recognition needed to pass two laws in favor of decreasing the obstacles in place to discourage African Americans to vote.

Marie Foster failed the voter registration test eight times before she finally passed and was granted her right to vote.

Marie Foster printed flyers inviting people to a literacy class, unsure of how many would come.

Marie Foster spent the time teaching him to write his name.

Marie Foster became interested in the civil rights movement in the early 1960s because she felt "the race relations were so bad in Selma".

Marie Foster was part of the revival of the Dallas County Voters League, a group of African Americans that pushed for improvements in the system for voter registration and belonged to its eight-member steering committee, known as the "Courageous Eight".

On October 5,1963, Marie Foster delivered a speech to the individuals gathered at the First Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama.

Marie Foster participated in the march on March 7,1965, that became known as Bloody Sunday.

Marie Foster was at the front of one of the lines along with John Lewis, who had to be admitted to the hospital with a head injury and Amelia Boynton, and was clubbed by a state trooper, leaving her with swollen knees.

Marie Foster was one of the two women to complete it.

Marie Foster is said to have cried at the news while with Foster.

In 1984, Marie Foster worked on Rev Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign.

Marie Foster carried on campaigning, fighting for public housing of the poor in Selma, conduct of white bus drivers or asking for the statue of the Klan founder to be taken away from a public park.

Marie Foster is buried at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Selma, Alabama.

Marie Foster was posthumously named an honoree by the National Women's History Alliance in 2020.