[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1607-E1608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING FANNIE LOU HAMER

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable historical activist, Fannie Lou Hamer.
  She was born as Fannie Lou Townsend on October 6, 1917, to 
sharecroppers Lou Ella and James Lee Townsend, east of the Mississippi 
Delta in Montgomery County, Mississippi. She first joined her family to 
work in the cotton fields at age six.
  In the early 1940s she married Perry ``Pap'' Hamer, and adopted two 
daughters, girls whose own families were unable to care for them.
  She worked alongside her husband at the W.D. Marlow's plantation near 
Ruleville, in Sunflower County. Hamer's ability to read and write 
earned her the job of timekeeper, a less physically demanding and more 
prestigious job within the sharecropping system.
  In the summer of 1962, Hamer made a life-changing decision to attend 
a protest meeting where she encountered civil rights activists and 
became active in helping with the voter registration efforts for 
African Americans.
  Hamer dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights, working for 
the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The organization 
was driven by mostly African American students who indulged in acts of 
civil disobedience--combatting racial segregation and injustice in the 
South.
  During her activist career, Hamer was threatened, arrested, and shot 
at. In jail, Hamer and several of the activists were beaten by other 
African American inmates, whom received orders from the police to use 
blackjack weapons. Despite the long term damage done to her body, none 
of these things deterred her from her work.
  Hamer loved to sing spirituals. ``This Little Light of Mine'' and 
``Go Tell It on the Mountain,'' became one of the defining features of 
her activism.
  Hamer's also known for her famous quote, ``I'm sick and tired of 
being sick and tired.''
  In 1964, Hamer helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, 
which was established in opposition to the state's all-

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white delegation to that year's Democratic convention.
  The civil rights struggle in Mississippi was brought to the attention 
of the entire nation during a televised session at the convention. The 
following year, Hamer ran for Congress in Mississippi, but was 
unsuccessful in her bid.
  Along with her political activism, Hamer worked to help the poor and 
families in need in her Mississippi community. She also set up 
organizations to increase business opportunities for minorities and to 
provide childcare and other family services.
  Hamer died on March 14, 1977 in Mound Bayou, Mississippi from 
complications associated with heart disease and cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Fannie Lou 
Hamer for her contributions to her family, her community, and the fight 
for Civil Rights that was her driving passion.

                          ____________________