[BRC-NEWS] An Oral History with FANNIE LOU HAMER Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - brc-news@igc.org Full Interview Transcript at: http://www-dept.usm.edu/~mcrohb/transcripts/hamer.htm Summary Biography: Fannie Lou Hamer was born on a plantation in the Mississippi hill country in 1918, the last child in a family of twenty children. Mrs. Hamer's parents, who were sharecroppers, moved to Sunflower County, Mississippi, when she was two years old. She recalled that "from two years old up until now I've been in the Delta." Due to the dire economic circumstances in which the family lived, Mrs. Hamer received only about six years of formal education. At the time of her youth the school term was only four months a year. Also, education at that time was considered secondary to work; nevertheless, "When I was a child, I loved to read. In fact, I learned to read real well when I was going to school." Mrs. Hamer married and continued farming until the 1960s. In 1962, Mrs. Hamer learned about voting, saying, "That sounded interesting enough to me that I wanted to try it." When the civil rights movement began in Mississippi, Mrs. Hamer became first a participant and then a leader. She joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee [SNCC] as a fieldworker in voter registration drives. As a result of this work for civil rights, Mrs. Hamer became a leading figure in the organization of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. As a member of the party, she attended the 1964 National Democratic Convention to challenge the seating of Mississippi's Regular Democratic Party. It was during a credentials committee hearing at this convention that she made her famous television appearance telling of the problems she encountered trying to vote in Mississippi. She recalled that "The first vote I cast, I cast . . . for myself, because I was running for Congress." She opposed the incumbent from her congressional district, Representative Jamie Whitten. Mrs. Hamer traveled widely on behalf of the civil rights movement. She made addresses in many major cities and colleges in the United States. Mrs. Hamer was also instrumental in forming the farming cooperative, Freedom Farms, in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Among her many endeavors, Mrs. Hamer campaigned unsuccessfully for a seat in the state senate in 1971. Mrs. Hamer passed away March 14, 1977, in the hospital at Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Her funeral was conducted in Ruleville, and she was laid to rest on March 21 at Freedom Farms Cooperative, which she helped to found. Topics Discussed in the Interview: The family background Working in the fields Voting and trying to register Robert Moses, David Dennis and Jim Foreman A home lost Registers but can't vote The Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee Council of Federated Organizations; FBI; Justice Department Freedom Summer An African tour School desegregation in Ruleville 1964 National Democratic Party Convention The MFDP and the Loyalist faction The 1968 National Democratic Convention Assessment of current voting situation Changes in racial attitudes Charles Evers Establishment of Freedom Farms Future of the civil rights movement 1971 senatorial race General reflections (c) 1997-1998 Oral History Department, University of Southern Mississippi [Messages on BRC-NEWS may be forwarded and cross-posted, as long as proper attribution is given to the author and originating publication (including the email address and any copyright notices), and the wording is not altered in any way, other than for formatting. As a courtesy, when you cross-post or forward, we'd appreciate it if you mention that you received the info via the BRC-NEWS list. Thank you.] BRC-NEWS: Black Radical Congress - General News/Alerts/Announcements Subscribe: Email "subscribe brc-news" to ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrc-05.14.99-18:30:03-17738