Seven women will be honored for their contributions to racial justice, equal opportunity and community service at the 14th annual Fannie Lou Hamer Awards Reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Francis Scott Key Auditorium at St. John's College, 60 College Ave. The reception is co-sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Inc., St. John's College and the Office of the Attorney General. The awards are named for Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights leader who worked tirelessly until her death in 1977 to obtain voting rights and equal opportunities for minorities. The committee selects women who through professional and volunteer service carry on Hamer's ideals.
She was for poor people. She gave from her soul," said Moyo of [Fannie Lou Hamer]. "She didn't have any riches or education. Everyone who came to her house, she helped; she didn't isolate. Hamer was known for her singing that uplifted many people. On her travels, she would lift the spirits of her group by singing Negro spirituals like "This Little Light of Mine," which Moyo belts out during her show, along with "Go Tell it on the Mountain." Despite being humble, Fannie was quite outspoken. She addressed the Democratic National Convention in 1964, to inform America about the continued racism that existed in the South. In an attempt to steal Hamer's thunder, President [Lyndon B. Johnson]'s staff scheduled a pzess conference at the same time of Hamer's speech. It didn't stop the message....
Mrs. [Fannie Lou Hamer] comes into self-conscious being and begins her journey on the road to world recognition when she decides to walk away from the plantation that imprisoned her. She says, "In 1962 nobody knew I existed. . .and I hadn't heard of them either. Then one day, the thirty-first of August, I walked off the plantation". This is her first lesson then-that the will to be free must come from within and that to be free we must walk off the plantation, that is to say, away from the physical and psychological sites that imprison and oppress us. SNCC, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, had come to launch a campaign for voter registration and Mrs. Hamer had gone to a meeting to hear them speak of freedom. But no matter what they said or did, she had to embrace the idea...
As an adult and a product of the "deep" South, Hamer was always looking for ways to express her outrage over the conditions under which Blacks were forced to live* not only in her rural community, but even in the more "enlightened" parts of urban American-" "up" South and "down" South. Hamer believed that Blacks had to change their own conditions politically, socially and economically. The political climate would only improve when Blacks were properly informed and participated in electoral politics, free from fear and intimidation. In doing so, social and economic improvements would follow. She set about to rectify some of the political inconsistencies that were disenfranchising the Black masses and systematically denying them of their constitutional right to vote. One day in 1954, as s...
Deeply spiritual, she strove daily to lift up what she called "this little light of mine," and worked tirelessly to drive away the long night of the evil, injustice and social savagery which surrounded and suppressed her people. At an early age, she made a vow to her mother saying, "When I get my chance, Mama, I'm sure going to do something to right this wrong." Later, she would reaffirm this commitment and call on us to embrace it also, telling us, "We must bring right and justice where there is wrong and injustice." And speaking especially to her sisters, she reiterated the call saying, "We have a job as Black women-to support whatever is right and to bring justice where we've had so much injustice. Ms. [Fannie Lou Hamer] clearly took a womanist position on the indispensability of pa...
Indeed, the hub and hinge on which her life's work and lessons turn is a profound belief in and commitment to the people, the everyday people whose suffering, hope and struggle she shared. In speaking of Rev. Jesse Jackson's rise and need for defense against racist attacks, she says, "Power is the people. As long as Jesse got the people, he got power and cannot be destroyed". Mao Zedong had raised the call "power to the people". But Mrs. [Fannie Lou Hamer] wanted us to also know that "power is the people", themselves, that it is within them, and to have the people with and for you is to have a power which is indispensable for liberation, development and defense. Moreover, Mrs. Hamer, and other Movement leaders, also knew that the people must be politically educated, mobilized, organized...
On June 3, 1963, [Fannie Lou Hamer] and other civil rights workers arrived in Winona, MS by bus. They were ordered off the bus and taken to Montgomery County Jail. The story continues "...Then three white men came into my room. One was a state highway policeman (he had the marking on his sleeve)... They said they were going to make me wish I was dead. They made me lay down on my face and they ordered two Negro prisoners to beat me with a blackjack. That was unbearable. The first prisoner beat me until he was exhausted, then the second Negro began to beat me. I had polio when I was about six years old. I was limp. I was holding my hands behind me to protect my weak side. I began to work my feet. My dress pulled up and I tried to smooth it down. One of the policemen walked over...
I'm honored to be here with civil rights leaders like Dr. Dorothy Height, Julian Bond, the chairman of the NAACP. [Bruce S. Gordon], thank you, Bruce. Reverend [Joseph E. Lowery], it's good to see you again, sir-fortunately, I got the mic this time. [Laughter] I'm proud to be here with [Marc H. Morial]. Thanks for coming, Marc. Juanita Abernathy is with us today. [Jesse L. Jackson], good to see you, Jesse. Al Sharpton, Dr. [Benjamin L. Hooks] and Frances are with us.
The namesake of this political action committee, Fannie Lott Hamer, is known for saying 'I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired,' said Yvette McElroy, field director, [Fannie Lou Hamer] Political Action Committee. "The passage of Proposal S will show that Detroiters are sick and tired of our children being educated in schools that do not meet today's standards and prepare them to compete in our global society. According to Detroit Public Schools, the funds raised from the referendum would come to DPS in the form of no-interest and low-interest bonds available under economic stimulus packages.
DETROIT, April 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee ("FLHPAC" ) is pleased to announce our endorsement of Attorney Richard Bernstein, candidate for the office of Attorney General for the State of Michigan. Our endorsement of Attorney Bernstein is based on his strong commitment to social justice, and his vision and desire to help the underserved populations in Michigan. We believe that Bernstein will use the power of the Attorney General's office to improve the quality of life for the state's citizens.
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