Earl Frazier recalls life as sharecropper to becoming self-made millionaire ahead of 103rd birthday
Earl Frazier endured racism in the South, moved to Chicago as a teen, and became a self-made millionaire. Now, he is turning 103.
Born on April 28, 1922, in Pluckemin Bayou, Mississippi, Frazier will turn 103 on Monday. His father, Samuel, and mother, Osa Mae, were both sharecroppers. Frazier also worked as a sharecropper at a young age.
"At 12 years old, I went into the fields, cotton fields, and corn fields," he said.
Frazier is the second oldest of 12 children. He's a father of four, has eleven grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
He came to Chicago in 1939 with his wife, Willie Mae.
Frazier says he witnessed lynchings in Mississippi and wanted to escape the abuse he endured as a sharecropper.
In Chicago, he saw discrimination firsthand and had to be mindful of what neighborhoods he could go to because of the color of his skin.
"Kill you or beat you," he said. "On Madison, you couldn't go no further than 3200 on Madison. It was rough, you know, for Blacks in them days. It was really bad in Chicago."
His first job in the city was at a bowling alley, setting up bowling pins by hand.
"First job, I made three dollars a night."
Frazier later got a job at a company that made curtain rods. He still remembers the process and his tools.
"They had a pot, kiln, about 22 inches long and four feet wide," he said.
Frazier moved up the ladder at that company and retired after 39 years. At 65, he started flipping and selling houses, hiring three workers to help him.
"I like to rehab houses and make them beautiful."
Frazier sold his last property at the age of 99. The man, who was once a sharecropper and went to school up to the fifth grade, would amass a $3.5 million fortune through real estate.
"That's how I become a millionaire."
Frazier now lives at an assisted living facility on Chicago's West Side after selling that last property.
He credits his longevity to eating small portions. His favorite foods include soul food and vegetables, among them sweet potatoes, corn, and white potatoes. Another key to his long life is kindness.
"You be mean to people, someone will take you down, but I was always good and give. I didn't take. I'd give," Frazier said.
As he approaches the age of 103, Frazier says, "That's the true secret to living a happy life."
He also says he never argues because it's not worth it.
His family and friends will throw a large party for him this Sunday to celebrate his birthday.
