Fannie Lou Hamer

Children's Literature

Fannie Lou, like many other African Americans, had a very difficult childhood in Mississippi. Her family worked from sun up to sun down as sharecroppers, picking cotton. There was very little money and when she got polio there was no money for medical care. She recovered but, as a result of this disease, she walked with a limp for the rest of her life. Her mother, also due to the lack of money, ended up blind in one eye when she got a wood chip in her eye. As a small child, Fannie Lou often sang "This Little Light of Mine," a song her mother taught her. As an adult, when she was troubled she sang this song. In fact, she sang it during Civil Right events. I remember singing that song at many Civil Rights events, but I never knew that the singing of that song during the Civil Rights Movement was inspired by Fannie Lou Hamer. Thank you Fannie Lou! At the age of forty-four, she learned from northern Civil Rights workers that she had the right to vote. In spite of the danger to her and her family she volunteered to register to vote. She failed the test. She and her husband were fired from their jobs and they lost their home on the plantation. She began to speak at meetings in Mississippi and Tennessee, telling people of her experience. She continued to work for voting rights. On two occasions she attended the Democratic National Convention as a delegate for the Mississippi Freedom Party. In 1964 the delegates were not allowed to represent Mississippi, but in 1968 they were seated. During her life time she was a staunch warrior for voting rights for African Americans. Many honorary degrees were bestowed upon her. But like many African Americans, due to poor diet and medical care, her healthfailed her and she died at age fifty-nine. Included are text supplements on noteworthy events and people, a timeline on Fannie Lou's life, suggested additional reading and where to obtain additional information. This is part of the "African American Biographies" series. 2004, Raintree, Ages 8 to 12.
—Leila Toledo