Fannie Lou Harmer

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“What I really feel is necessary is that the black people in this country wil have to upset this apple cart. We can no longer ignore the fact that America is not the... land of the free and the home of the brave….Every red stripe in that flag represents the black man's blood that has been shed.”


Fannie Lou Hamer (1917 – 1977) was an American civil and women’s rights activist known for her dedication to fight for black voting rights. She founded and chaired many political organisations including the National Women's Political Caucus, an organization created to recruit, train, and support women of all races who sought election to government office. Beginning her activism in 1962, Hamer was renowned for her spiritual quotes and her persistent activism on behalf of black women in Mississippi. She was repeatedly targeted with physical and verbal abuse by white supremacists and police while trying to register for and exercise her right to vote. She later enabled thousands of African-Americans in Mississippi to become registered voters, and helped hundreds of disenfranchised people in her area through her work in programs. In the 1970s, she twice ran (unsuccessfully) for senate, while also leading legal action against the government of Sunflower County, Mississippi, for continued illegal segregation. One of the most shocking and tragic parts of Fannie’s story is that she was sterilized without her consent while under anaesthetic to have a tumour removed. This was disgustingly a very common practice in Mississippi and was seen as a legitimate way of reducing the poor black population. To further the tragedy, one of her adopted daughters then died as a result of being refused treatment for a haemorrhage because of her mother’s activism.

Now seemed like an important time to share Hamer’s story because of her experiences of white supremacy and particularly police brutality. After consistently losing jobs due to her determination to win the right to vote for herself and other black Americans, Hamer was arrested in 1963 alongside other activists after being refused service at a roadside diner. Once in police custody, Hamer was repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted by police officers, who also threatened and bullied her fellow inmates into assaulting her as well. This abuse left Hamer with permanent psychological and physical injuries including a blood clot and kidney damage which stayed with her for the rest of her life. Nonetheless, Hamer continued her political activism until her death of breast cancer in 1977. Her tombstone is engraved with one of her most memorial quotes: one of her famous quotes, "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." 

Fannie’s story reminds us that police brutality against black citiziens in the US (and elsewhere) is nothing new. What is destressing however, is that 63 years later nothing has changed. Police are still allowed to injure and kill innocent black civilians with no consequences or legal repercussions. While those who killed George Floyd have since been charged, he is just one of hundreds throughout the centuries who have faced misjustice at the hands of US institutions. Fannie’s determination and refusal to be silenced is inspiring and we owe it to her and the countless other victims of racially-aggravated police brutality to ensure that such institutions are finally held accountable for the lives they have destroyed.


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