Marie Foster

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.

Going against her husband, Squire (Square) Martin's wishes, Foster's mother, Virginia Pettiway, moved her and her siblings to Selma to ensure her children got the best education they could.

[3] Her dedication to education proved to be important as she fought against the Jim Crow system that denied Black voters from registering throughout the South.

In some cases, those that attempted to register had their addresses published in the newspaper, which put them at risk of retaliation by whites, including violent attacks and termination of jobs.

[5] Eventually, Foster's patience and knack for teaching spread throughout the area, and more and more people joined the classes to learn from her, trusting that she could help them without making them feel lesser than because they lacked a good education.

Foster remarks how on one Thursday night, the same 70-year-old man came, but this time bringing along other individuals, slowly growing the meetings each week.

[6] As Foster's literary classes were attempted to be shut down many times, even resulting in Judge James Hare banning groups of three or more from meeting regarding civil rights and dealing with Klansmen's increasing threats.

"[3] Bringing her speech to a close, Foster lists African American individuals who have broken the racial barrier in the past like Pinckney Benton Steward Pinchback, Blanche Kelso Bruce, and James Pike.

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.

[11] Martin Luther King Jr. learned that Lyndon B. Johnson would sign the Voting Rights Act when he was at Foster's house.

[14][11] Located in Selma, Alabama, the museum focuses on voting rights as a whole while also offering an abundance of accounts from individuals who attended the Bloody Sunday march along with items recovered.

After her death, in 2005, Marie Foster along with Amelia Boynton Robinson was honored with a monument located in Selma, Alabama for holding citizenship classes in her home.