The Foot Locker: A Family’s Journey Out of Poverty

This memoir tells the story of Francie Mae, a young girl who grew up in abject poverty in the segregated South during the Civil Rights Era. Her personal experience paralleled many poor and black families who grew up during that time.

Francie Mae’s father served in the Army during WWII. He placed his hopes and dreams in his military footlocker. He returned home to his wife and newborn son  in the segregated South after he was honorably discharged. As their family grew, they moved from Mississippi to Tennessee in search of educational opportunities for their children. Once they settled in Memphis, their last child, Francie Mae, was born  in the charity hospital. They lived in extreme poverty for the duration of her childhood. She and her family frequently moved in search of better opportunities. The footlocker, their constant companion, always moved with them.

Francie Mae did not understand how so many people could be impoverished, or how racism could exist, in the richest country in the nation. Her search for answers led to many more questions. She was too young to understand why.

Throughout her journey in poverty, Francie Mae’s parents helped her and her siblings understand the world around them. They had many conversations around the pot belly stove that sat in the middle of their shack. Before each conversation, their father carefully opened the lid of his old Army footlocker and thoughtfully chose a book to discuss. After the family discussion was complete, he returned the book to his cherished war chest. He then put the treasured trunk in the corner of their humble shack, under the protection of his Army blanket. His faith gave him assurance that the hopes and dreams of his family would one day be fulfilled.

It would take seventy- eight years to discover all the information  he used to help guide his family out of poverty.