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Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer
Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977) is most recognized for helping to coordinate the Mississippi Summer of Freedom for SNCC in 1964. Growing up in Mississippi she was familiar with segregation and the effect it had on African Americans in the rural areas of the South. Hamer attended many rallies and conferences addressing civil rights issues and signed on to help register black voters in 1962. She began to use her singing as a way to give strength to fellow demonstrators as she strongly believed the civil rights movement had its foundation in the spiritual realm. After registering to vote in August 1962, she lost her job and her home. Hamer helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964 as a response to the all-white delegation at the Democratic National Convention. |