Fannie Lou Hamer
1917-1977
Grades
When she found out that blacks had the right to vote
under the U.S. Constitution, but had been denied that
right by local laws and prejudiced officials, Hamer
was outraged. For the next fifteen years she dedicated
her life to organizing southern blacks to claim their
legal right to vote and be recognized as a significant
force in national politics. She suffered beatings by
the police, lost her job, and was forced to leave her
home because of her belief in justice for all. In 1964,
she led the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegation
to the Democratic Convention, forcing the party to
reconsider the way in which women and minorities were
represented within its state delegations.
