Political Quotes

“Let me first begin by thanking my friend and colleague Rep. Bennie Thompson for leading today's effort in honoring the life and legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer. October 6th marks the 100th anniversary of her birth in Montgomery County, Mississippi. An honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta, Fannie Lou Hamer dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights. Born in 1917, she was the daughter of sharecroppers and the youngest of 20 siblings. By the age of six, she was helping her family in the cotton fields. Fannie Lou Hamer was a woman of courage. She used her voice to raise awareness about the plight of African Americans in the Mississippi Delta. She was a woman of strength who was able to channel the injustices committed against her into activism. Working for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Hamer helped African Americans register to vote and worked to end segregation. After attempting to register to vote herself in August 1962, Hamer lost her job and was kicked out of her home. The following year, she and fellow activists returning from a training workshop were unjustly jailed and severely beaten. While the beating left permanent damage, the officers were later acquitted by an all-white jury. Hamer was also a trailblazing political activist. She helped to found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the National Women's Political Caucus.…”