Ms. Hamer's Philosophy

Hamer's philosophy is best understood in the work she did. Throughout her life, Hamer moved from Delta politics to international protest. While Hamer is so often remembered for her work within the Democratic party and in registering voters, she actually had a huge breadth of interests and concerns.

Hamer's discovery of the vote was the catalyst in her lifelong exploration of varying forms of self determination. Enfranchisement was of course an important tool for self-determination and it was much more than just voting. Her movement to register voters was a movement to educate black people about their rights. She also worked to inform black Americans that American politics defined their lives but that American politics could also be defined by them. Although Hamer worked with the Democratic Party, her work was in no way dependent upon, or contrained to, the party. Through projects like the Freedom Farm and also through her loud condemnation of the Vietnam War, Hamer declared herself an independent.

Hamer spoke out loudly against the Vietnam War. The MFDP is said, by some accounts, to have been the first civil rights organization to publicly denounce the war, which they did in a 1965 flier in McComb Mississippi. Hamer made connections between American movements and international movements and positioned herself in solidarity with other third world plights.

Hamer had an interesting take on gender politics. She fought adamently for women's rights, creating jobs for women and working against female sterilization. However, she also spoke out against abortion and often spoke of black men as the real potential actors in the movement.

Her independence and self-determination were also expressed in her organizing methods. Hamer's grassroots organizing around voting, poverty, female rights and the Vietnam War was community based, on the ground work. Hamer lobbied, spoke, sang and marched inside the community and she relied on the voices and needs of the community to define the movement. Unlike many other civil right's organizers, Hamer was not interested in representative, or top down leadership. After the famous 1964 Democratic Convention, Hamer came away furious and disillusioned with traditional power hierarchies. She stopped paying her membership to the NAACP and denounced the organization and the traditional black leadership. She also came to believe then that the white power structure would not forfeit its power willingly and for this reason did not depend upon it in her fight for liberation.

Hamer became known for her freedom songs. Hamer often lead protesters, congregations and freedom fighters in songs such as "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round," "We Shall Overcome," "Keep Your Eyes on The Prize," and "This Little Light of Mine." Hamer's songs were inspirational and she made herself responsible for keeping spirits up within the movement.

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