Whole with joy w/Fannie Lou Hamer

Creator: John Dominis | Credit: The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Happy Birthday to one of my greatest inspirations and beloved ancestors, Fannie Lou Hamer. Her life and legacy hold profound lessons for us all.

Born into poverty in Montgomery County, Mississippi, Hamer left school at just 12 years old to work. Yet, she refused to let her circumstances or lack of formal education define her. Instead, she embraced the power of the spirit within her and the divine purpose that guided her path.

Fannie Lou Hamer carried a mighty spirit—a spirit of unyielding determination, courage, and love. She fearlessly raised her voice, using both song and protest to confront racial injustices and champion human rights. Her life was a testament to resilience and transformation.

Hamer was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, helping to establish the National Women’s Political Caucus and dismantling systemic oppression through initiatives like the Freedom Farm Cooperative (FFC), which tackled food sovereignty and economic injustice.

Despite enduring horrific violations and assaults on her body and spirit, she turned her pain into power, transforming ugliness into beauty. She lived with audacity, leading with love and conviction to create a world where dignity could be felt and known by all.

Today, as we honor her legacy, let us carry her spirit forward, singing her songs of justice, freedom, and unwavering hope.

Fannie Lou Hamer, we remember you. We celebrate you. We continue your fight.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Fannie Lou Hamer:

“If you give a hungry man food, he will eat it. [But] if you give him land, he will grow his own food.”

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.” 

“When I liberate myself, I liberate others. If you don’t speak out ain’t nobody going to speak out for you.”

“I am sick & tired of being sick & tired”

“If this is a Great Society, I’d hate to see a bad one”

 “There is one thing you have got to learn about our movement. Three people are better than no people.” – Fannie Lou Hamer

“This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, shine, shine “