The Mississippi Freedom Trail has erected a marker commemorating Fanny Lou Hamer in the Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden, Ruleville, Sunflower County, Mississippi.
The GPS location is: N33° 44.020′ W90° 32.428′.
The front of the marker reads:
“In 1962 at age 44, Hamer tried to register to vote; the next day she was fired from her job on the plantation east of here. She became a civil rights activist, opening her Ruleville home to Freedom Summer workers and other activists. She earned a reputation as an electrifying speaker, especially as a delegate of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. She fought racism, injustice and poverty until her death in 1977.”
The Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden commemorates the achievements of Ruleville civil rights activist Fanny Lou Hamer. It contains the graves of Fanny Lou Hamer and her husband, a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, a statue and other monuments dedicated to Fanny Lou Hamer.
The Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden is on Byron Street, Ruleville, Sunflower County, Mississippi. The GPS location is: N33° 44.020′ W90° 32.428′.
Another Mississippi Freedom Trail marker is located on the grounds of the William Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, a short drive from the Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden. Fanny Lou Hamer’s funeral was conducted at the William Chapel M.B. Church in 1977.
This statue of Fanny Lou Hamer stands in the Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden.The main inscription on the base reads:
“FANNIE LOU HAMER
October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977
Civil Rights Leader and Human Rights Activist
‘This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.’ “
Around its base are also inscribed some of Fanny Lou Hamer’s best known quotations:
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”;
“Whether you have a Ph.D or no D, we are in this bag together. Whether you’re from Morehouse or Nohouse, we’re still in this bag together.”;
“I’m never sure when I leave home whether I’ll make it back or not…..but if I fall, I’ll fall five fet and four inches forward for freedom and I’m not backing off of it.”
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.”
The statue was cast and installed in 2012 by Brian P. Hanlon of Hanlon Sculpture Studio, Toms River, New Jersey.
This marker in the Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden highlights major events in Fanny Lou Hamer’s career. It reads:
“FANNY LOU HAMER VOTING AND CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER
1962 – Joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Became A Field Secretary
1963 – Severely Beaten While In Winona Mississippi When She And Other Civil Rights Workers Were Returning Home From An SCLC Citizenship Training Conference. Became One Of The First Black Persons To Register To Vote In Sunflower County. Ran For Congress In The Second Congressional District.
1964 – A Founding member Of The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) And Led The MFDP Challenge Before The National Democratic Party Credentials Committee In Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1968 – Founder Of The Freedom Farms Corporation (FFC).
1970 – Founder Of The Fanny Lou Hamer Day Care Center, Ruleville MS.
1971 – Became A Member Of The Policy Council Of The National Council Of Negro Women, Inc., And A Member Of The Women’s Political Caucus.
1974 – She Was Named To The Board Of Trustees Of The Martin Luther King Center For Nonviolent Social Change.”
The graves of Fanny Lou Hamer and her husband in the Fanny Lou Hamer Memorial Garden, Ruleville, Mississippi.
Here are some videos of Fannie Lou Hamer and her significance in the Civil Rights movement.
Here are some documentaries about Fannie Lou Hamer and the history of Voting Rights in Mississippi.
Here is an American Experience documentary about the Freedom Summer events of 1964 which includes information about Fanny Lou Hamer’s role in those events.
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