Mattie Lou Foster
Mattie Lou Foster participated in The Second Great Migration by moving from Auburn, Alabama to Detroit, Michigan to seek better employment opportunities in the mid 1930s. She was born in Auburn, Alabama on August 7, 1906. Her father, Philip, owned a house and farm, worked as a farmer and merchant, and also ran a store. Mattie's family was, therefore, at least upper middle class relative to their peers. She also had three brothers and five sisters. She was able to attend school because their family had decent financial stability. Mattie attended school until the eighth grade. On August 26, 1922, Mattie, 15, married Julius Whitaker, who was also from Auburn. However, Mattie divorced him between 1922 and 1930 for unknown reasons. Mattie then lived with her parents again in Auburn. Mattie suddenly moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1940. Her sister Elizabeth, who was in Washington, D.C., also moved to Detroit, Michigan, to live with Mattie. Also, Mattie's brother, Leroy, moved to Detroit to live with them. A man by the name of Emmett Holland also roomed with the siblings. This tells us that this family was not very financially stable. Mattie, Elizabeth, and Leroy moved to Michigan for a new job and vision because the 1940s was a Second Great Migration. So, Mattie began a new life in Detroit, Michigan due to economic struggles, employment opportunities, and racial discrimination. Mattie, Elizabeth, and Leroy lived in a monthly rent house, and Elizabeth worked as a maid and received $520 in income. In addition, Leroy worked as a porter for $320 in income. Although Mattie labored as a servant, she worked without pay and was desperately searching for a new form of employment. At the age of 35, she developed cancer on her esophagus resulting in her death on April 11, 1942, at a hospital in Detroit.
Contributed by Faith and Sue from Auburn High School