Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer. American Voting Rights Movement. . On the steps of the Sunflower County Courthouse, Fannie Lou Hamer, a former cotton picker, sharecropper, and voting and civil rights activist stood in protest of voter suppression in the state of Mississippi throughout the United States.

On October 31, 1962, Hamer, escorted by Charles McLaurin and several members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), made her very first attempt to register to vote here at the Sunflower County Courthouse. In 1964, Hamer assisted the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) to organize the historic Freedom Summer in Mississippi. Later that same year, Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP); and, thereby successfully registered to vote for the first time.

Also that year, Mrs. Hamer told the world she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” during the 1964 Democratic National Convention, which facilitated the Voting Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965.

In addition to her voting advocacy work, in 1969, Hamer purchased 640 acres of farmland to launch the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, MS. This endeavor provided African American farmers with housing, economic, and collective farming opportunities.

In 1971, Hamer, along with Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and others, went on to create the National Women’s Caucus, and continued her human rights and social advocacy work on an international platform.

Hamer faced many hardships along this journey. In spite of almost losing her life in pursuit of equal voting rights for all Americans, she stood firm in her convictions and left her mark in the sands of time. We, the people of Sunflower County, are eternally grateful to Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer for her determination, leadership and courage.

This historic marker was scripted and developed by Dr. C. Sade Turnipseed's Public History students led by Mr. Brian Diyaolu of Mississippi Valley State University. Sunflower County Board of Supervisors, Mississippi Valley State University and Khafre, Inc made funding possible. . This historical marker was erected in 2020 by Sunflower County Board of Supervisors, Mississippi Valley State University and Khafre, Inc.. It is in Indianola in Sunflower County Mississippi