Author: Claire Farrington, Civic Engagement Intern

“One day I know the struggle will change. There's got to be a change—not only for Mississippi, not only for the people in the United States but people all over the world”

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977)

Fannie Lou Hamer, one of the most influential suffragists in the United States, grew up in the Mississippi Delta as the youngest of 20 children. Despite being fired, beaten, shot at, and given an involuntary hysterectomy, she fought unwaveringly for African American and women’s rights to vote.

Hamer’s life of activism truly began in 1962 when she became involved with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. In August 1962, Hamer led a voter registration drive for 17 other volunteers. Sadly, the drive was unsuccessful. No one in the group was allowed to cast a vote. Upon returning home, Hamer got fired for her attempt to vote. Soon after, when most of their property got confiscated, Hamer and her husband, Perry (Pap), moved to Ruleville, Mississippi.

In 1963, Hamer led another voter registration drive in Charleston, South Carolina, this time with more success. However, following the drive, Hamer and several other Black women were arrested for sitting at a whites-only lunch counter. When they got sent to the Winona Jailhouse, several of the women, including Hamer, were viciously beaten. Hamer suffered permanent damage to her kidney, eyes, and leg.

Undeterred, one year later, Hamer co-founded and became the vice-chairperson of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The MFDP aimed to challenge the pro-segregation Democratic Party, which actively attempted to prevent Black participation. At the 1964 Democratic Convention, the MFDP protested the previous year’s election and argued for the seats that the Democratic Party held. President Lyndon B. Johnson strongly opposed this idea as he worried he would lose power if the MFDP were seated. As such, the President scheduled a news conference during Hamer’s testimony in an attempt to block her television broadcast. This idea backfired when Hamer's testimony was instead replayed by news stations during prime time, thus reaching a much larger audience.

In 1964, Hamer ran for Congress but got barred from the ballot. That same year, she helped organize a Freedom Summer which brought college students to Mississippi to assist with African American voter registration. After much hard work, in 1968, the MFDP became the first integrated delegation in Mississippi.

Alongside these achievements, Hamer was involved in relief work, organizing plaintiffs for a school desegregation lawsuit, introducing Head Start programs, establishing the National Women’s Political Caucus, and launching the Freedom Farm Cooperative. As a Black woman, Fannie Lou Hamer’s contributions to women's suffrage have often been overlooked, but her voice and influence cannot be ignored or silenced.

To discover more about Fannie Lou Hamer, head to the Indiana Repertory Theatre this weekend to see Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. Shows are at 7:30 pm on Friday, February 2nd, 5:00 pm on Saturday, February 3rd, and 2:00 pm on Sunday, February 4.

References

American Experience. (2017, March 21). Fannie Lou Hamer. American Experience. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/freedomsummer-hamer/

Biography.com Editors. (2021, November 12). Fannie Lou Hamer. Biography. https://www.biography.com/activists/fannie-lou-hamer

Michals, D., Dr. (2017). Biography: Fannie Lou Hamer. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/fannie-lou-hamer