Martha Louise Morrow Foxx
Encyclopedia
Martha Louise Morrow Foxx (October 9, 1902–1975) was a pioneering educator of the blind in Mississippi. Her techniques and leadership are credited with guiding the Mississippi Blind School for Negroes towards integration
, embodied by the creation of the Mississippi School for the Blind
for both African American
and whites
in 1950.
, an eye disease left Martha partially blind as a child. She entered the Raleigh School for the Blind as a young child, until her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
when Foxx was eleven. There she was enrolled in the Overbrook School for the Blind
, later beginning college at Temple University
. After her first year she moved to Piney Woods, Mississippi
to begin her career. In the summers after starting there she completed her college at the West Virginia State College, University of Wisconsin–Madison
and the Hampton Institute, where she received her bachelor's degree.
campus in April 1929. Initially called the "house mistress," she was later entitled the principal of the school.
In 1945, Helen Keller
visited the Piney Woods School and appeared before the state legislature to appeal for funding. In 1950 the new Mississippi School for the Blind for both white and African American students was completed and moved to its new location on Capers Street in Jackson, Mississippi
where Foxx was the principal.
Laurence C. Jones
, who founded the Piney Woods School in 1909, said of Foxx, "She ministered, not only to their intellectual needs, but to their moral and spiritual needs as well." Jones described Foxx's relationship to her charges as like that of a mother. She taught students domestic skills, how to make mats and cane seating, and music. "She developed in all her students’ self-reliance so that they could eagerly look forward to the time when they could support themselves out in the world," Jones said. As early as 1920 music groups performed across the South and Eastern U.S. on tours to gain support for the school. Knowledgeable about her background in music, Jones asked Foxx to help organize a blind quartet known as the Cotton Blossom Singers, who recorded for Alan Lomax
in 1937, and after their graduation became famous as the nucleus of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
.
Foxx retired from her job as principal in 1969. She died in 1975.
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
, embodied by the creation of the Mississippi School for the Blind
Mississippi School for the Blind
Mississippi School for the Blind is a state-operated K-12 public school for blind children located in Jackson, Mississippi.The Mississippi State Legislature established the Institution for the Instruction of the Blind on March 2, 1848, through Article 9, Chapter 43. The legislature appropriated...
for both African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and whites
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
in 1950.
Early life
Born in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, an eye disease left Martha partially blind as a child. She entered the Raleigh School for the Blind as a young child, until her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
when Foxx was eleven. There she was enrolled in the Overbrook School for the Blind
Overbrook School for the Blind
The Overbrook School for the Blind was established in 1832 in Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They produced the first embossed book in America, the Gospel of Mark and the first magazine for the blind.-History:...
, later beginning college at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
. After her first year she moved to Piney Woods, Mississippi
Piney Woods, Mississippi
Piney Woods is an unincorporated community in Rankin County, Mississippi . It is the site of the Piney Woods Country Life School, a historically African-American boarding school established in 1909....
to begin her career. In the summers after starting there she completed her college at the West Virginia State College, University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and the Hampton Institute, where she received her bachelor's degree.
Piney Woods Country Life School
Foxx was instrumental in founding the Mississippi Blind School for Negroes on the Piney Woods SchoolPiney Woods Country Life School
The Piney Woods Country Life School is a co-educational independent historically African-American boarding school for grades 9-12 in Piney Woods, Mississippi. It is one of four remaining historically African-American boarding schools in the United States...
campus in April 1929. Initially called the "house mistress," she was later entitled the principal of the school.
In 1945, Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
visited the Piney Woods School and appeared before the state legislature to appeal for funding. In 1950 the new Mississippi School for the Blind for both white and African American students was completed and moved to its new location on Capers Street in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
where Foxx was the principal.
Laurence C. Jones
Laurence C. Jones
Laurence Clifton Jones , was the founder and long-time president of Piney Woods Country Life School in the United States state of Mississippi. A noted educational innovator, Jones spent his adult life supporting the educational advancement of rural African American students in the segregated...
, who founded the Piney Woods School in 1909, said of Foxx, "She ministered, not only to their intellectual needs, but to their moral and spiritual needs as well." Jones described Foxx's relationship to her charges as like that of a mother. She taught students domestic skills, how to make mats and cane seating, and music. "She developed in all her students’ self-reliance so that they could eagerly look forward to the time when they could support themselves out in the world," Jones said. As early as 1920 music groups performed across the South and Eastern U.S. on tours to gain support for the school. Knowledgeable about her background in music, Jones asked Foxx to help organize a blind quartet known as the Cotton Blossom Singers, who recorded for Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
in 1937, and after their graduation became famous as the nucleus of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was a post-war gospel quartet. Powered by lead singer Archie Brownlee, their single "Our Father" reached the Billboard R&B charts in the early 1950s, one of the first gospel records to do so.-History:...
.
Teaching methodology
Foxx’s teaching philosophy embraced a very modern dynamic of learning outside the walls of the classroom and of incorporating nature into lessons. She often took the children into the surrounding woods to hunt for plums and to pick wild berries. Ernestine Archie, a graduate of the school's first class of 1934, recalled Foxx’s determination that the visually handicapped students be allowed to enjoy outings just as the sighted students did and that their senses of touch, taste, sound and smell made up for the deficiency in sight. Archie recalled how the dynamic teacher also claimed that these forays into nature sharpened the blind students’ "sixth sense," honing their spirits as well as their minds. Utilizing what at the time were progressive techniques, Foxx taught her students to read Braille and special large-print books.Foxx retired from her job as principal in 1969. She died in 1975.