Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?
-Fannie Lou Hamer, 1964 Democratic Convention
Introduction
Fannie Lou Hamer fought all of her life for equality. She fought to live in a society where she was afforded the human rights she deserved – the human rights she was promised by the United States Constitution. Hamer who was born in Mississippi in 1917, grew up on her parents’ plantation picking cotton. Throughout her life, Hamer was the victim of many injustices. Injustices that occurred before and after she became involved as a civil rights activist. At the age of 27 it was discovered that Hamer was illiterate. She was given a hysterectomy without consent. She was beaten severely and sexually assaulted in a jail. These are just some of the experiences and disadvantages in the life of Hamer, which will be discussed later. Hamer is a known female civil rights activist and is praised for her courage during the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout these stories we see themes and perspectives of Hamer’s life that are seemingly the same. …show more content…
Some of the most notable biographies include For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer and This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. Along with these biographies are other full length books as well as countless articles and mentions of Hamer in other narratives. These accounts of Hamer’s life however downplay her activism in many ways. Hamer is often referred to as a “grassroots” or “bridge leader” in articles, but her work had more of an impact than that. Hamer may not have been a national name, but she had a national influence. Her efforts in the Civil Rights Movement to get African Americans registered to vote were courageous and she influenced
-Fannie Lou Hamer, 1964 Democratic Convention
Introduction
Fannie Lou Hamer fought all of her life for equality. She fought to live in a society where she was afforded the human rights she deserved – the human rights she was promised by the United States Constitution. Hamer who was born in Mississippi in 1917, grew up on her parents’ plantation picking cotton. Throughout her life, Hamer was the victim of many injustices. Injustices that occurred before and after she became involved as a civil rights activist. At the age of 27 it was discovered that Hamer was illiterate. She was given a hysterectomy without consent. She was beaten severely and sexually assaulted in a jail. These are just some of the experiences and disadvantages in the life of Hamer, which will be discussed later. Hamer is a known female civil rights activist and is praised for her courage during the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout these stories we see themes and perspectives of Hamer’s life that are seemingly the same. …show more content…
Some of the most notable biographies include For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer and This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. Along with these biographies are other full length books as well as countless articles and mentions of Hamer in other narratives. These accounts of Hamer’s life however downplay her activism in many ways. Hamer is often referred to as a “grassroots” or “bridge leader” in articles, but her work had more of an impact than that. Hamer may not have been a national name, but she had a national influence. Her efforts in the Civil Rights Movement to get African Americans registered to vote were courageous and she influenced