Fannie Lou Hamer was a galvanizing force of the Civil Rights movement, using her voice to advance voting rights and representation for Black Americans throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Faced with eviction, arrests, and abuse at the hands of white doctors, policemen, and others, Hamer stayed true to her faith and her conviction in non-violent progress. She helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, ran for Congress, and was one of the first three Black women in American history to be seated on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Hamer dedicated herself fully as a grassroots organizer of the Civil Rights movement, inspiring countless activists and pushing progress forward. This is her story.
November 1964: Freedom vote
Hamer ran against Congressman Jamie Whitten on the Freedom Party ticket. Election officials illegally turned away many Black voters, and the election result came in as expected. Hamer lost to Whitten for Mississippi’s Second District congressional seat, 385 votes to 29,711. Her MFDP colleagues Annie Devine and Victoria Gray lost their races against white politicians, too. Image: Hamer Campaign poster. Credit: Hamer Campaign Poster 1964, M-636, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Campaign Posters, Historical Manuscripts, The University of Southern Mississippi.
Images are from Walk with Me, except where otherwise noted and linked.
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