Montgomery County, Mississippi (October 6, 1917 -March 14, 1977) age 59 yrs

Fannie Lou Hamer was a Mississippi sharecropper. She fought for Black voting rights for many people. She famously said, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Hamer’s testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention was electrifying. It took place before the authorization committee in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her words made history. She led the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. This party challenged the right of the all-white delegates of the Democratic Party to represent the state. African Americans had been excluded from choosing them.

Medgar Evers (1925-1962) served with distinction as an official of the NAACP in Mississippi until his assassination in 1963.

The Tragic Real-Life Story of Fannie Lou Hamer->