"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."
October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977
A daughter of sharecroppers in Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer got involved with the Civil Rights movement through Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Known for her vigiliance in wanting to register to vote, she was finally able to register after a series of attempts. She later helped found and run the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), which was instrumental in ensuring voting rights for blacks in the South.
In 1969, she founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative in which 5,000 people were able to grow their own food and own 680 acres of land. In 1972, she helped found the National Women's Political Caucus. And during the last ten years of her life, she worked on issues affecting her community such as school desegregation, child day-care, and low-income housing.
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