Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was a grass roots organic intellectual and activist who sought to do everything she could in Mississippi to free her people. She ressurected herself from the crevices of servitude to become one of the civil right movement's most respected figures and symbols of Black Freedom. Her major contributions came from her dedication and constant work in creating change through voting.

Fannie Lou Hamer felt the dream of democracy. Undergoing tremendous sacrifice, Hamer lifted a proud, defiant voice and she sang of freedom. At the 2004 Democratic Convention Ruby Dee said of Hamer, “She guided us out of the wilderness of death threats and disenfranchisement, of lynching and literacy tests of segregation and second-class status. One woman from Mississippi did this. One voice lifted so many. All of us.”

Ms. Hamer's Life

"All my life I’ve been sick and tired. Now I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired."

Ms. Hamer's Work

"They take me from my husband and they take my home from me. But still, at the next election, I will be there, voting just as much as white folks vote."

"Sometimes it feel like to tell the truth today is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off."

Ms. Hamer's Words

"There is one thing you have got to learn about our movement. Three people are better than no people."

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