One Woman,
One Legacy,
For Literacy.
Our Mission is to Help Alleviate Poverty for All Chattanooga Citizens and Help Create Economic Stability Through Historical, Literacy and Educational Activities.
One Woman,
Our Focus Areas of Impact
Local History & Heritage
Vision
Our Vision
Literacy Matters
Literacy opens doors. It strengthens a person’s ability to learn, work, manage everyday responsibilities, participate in community life, and pursue new opportunities. At the Mary Walker Foundation, we believe learning can happen at every age. Inspired by Mary Walker’s extraordinary determination to learn to read late in life, we help children, youth, and adults build skills that can strengthen their lives, families, and futures.
Our Collaboration with the Chattanooga public library
View our #CampREACH Student Experience
Our Legacy
Our Legacy
Who is Mary Walker?
Mary Walker was born in 1848 in Union Springs, Alabama, and was enslaved until she was 15 years old when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863. She was married and had her first child by the age of 20. She had worked a variety of occupations by the time she was 68, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to earn funds for her church. Walker and her family relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1917. By the age of 114, she had lost all three of her children as well as her husband.
Walker received a number of medals and accolades for her endurance and determination, including the Key to Chattanooga. She was also designated Chattanooga’s Ambassador of Goodwill twice and was certified as the Nation’s Oldest Student by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
