[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 221 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 221

  Honoring the life, legacy, and contributions of Fannie Lou Townsend 
   Hamer on the 30th anniversary of her death for her dedication to 
                          freedom and justice.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2007

  Ms. Lee (for herself and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the life, legacy, and contributions of Fannie Lou Townsend 
   Hamer on the 30th anniversary of her death for her dedication to 
                          freedom and justice.

Whereas Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer dedicated her life to the fight against racial 
        and social injustice and worked to guarantee the right to vote for every 
        citizen of the United States;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer was born on October 6, 1917, in Montgomery County, 
        Mississippi, and died on March 14, 1977;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer was an important civil rights organizer who registered 
        African Americans in the Deep South to vote;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer was falsely arrested and beaten savagely by police 
        almost to the point of death on June 9, 1963;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer survived this ordeal and continued to advocate for full 
        civic participation, empowering people to change their own lives as she 
        accepted the dangerous task of registering voters;
Whereas at the time of the voter registration drives in Mississippi in 1964, 
        known as ``Freedom Summer'', 6.7 percent of African Americans in 
        Mississippi were registered to vote;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer was a founding member and served as the vice-
        chairperson of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer's eloquent testimony before the credentials committee 
        at the 1964 National Democratic Convention as the Mississippi Freedom 
        Democratic Party's delegate informed the American public of the 
        atrocities and horrors African Americans faced during attempts to 
        register to vote;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer was the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party's 
        candidate for the House of Representatives in 1965;
Whereas by 1969, 66.5 percent of African Americans in Mississippi were 
        registered to vote;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer was a teacher, an activist scholar, a stateswoman, and 
        a mother, and she had a clear vision and unwavering love for her people 
        and hope for her country; and
Whereas March 14, 2007, marks the 30th anniversary of Fannie Lou Hamer's death: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life, legacy, and contributions of Fannie 
        Lou Townsend Hamer for her dedication to freedom and justice;
            (2) reaffirms its commitment to protecting the fundamental 
        rights guaranteed by the Constitution; and
            (3) applauds the efforts of grassroots organizers to 
        preserve the sacred principles of democracy by respecting the 
        rights and will of the people.
                                 <all>