Fannie Lou Hamer

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses one of the most striking leaders of the 20th century, Fannie Lou Hamer who seems to have become a leader because she defied convention and rose to leadership anyway. The paper discusses her rise to leadership and looks at the differences between Fannie Lou Hamer and other women in the freedom movement.

From the Paper:

"Hamer's real life existence of an everyday person, led to her particular strength as a leader in a movement that really more than anything needed the support of everyday people to be successful. Hamer actually was many wealthy, educated and well groomed leaders have to portray, a everyday person. Hamer's success as a leader had to do with the fact that she did not have to persuade her followers or even her detractors that she was an everyday person who would benefit from change in the fabric of the culture, she really was and she did not have to prove sacrifice, as she lost almost everything in her fight, and on several occasions was even in danger of losing her life. Her life was what she was fighting for and this influenced many to follow her and build upon her goals. Her detractors found it convenient to challenge her education and appearance and yet, were not successful in showing anything but their own prejudice, which worked in Hamer's favor and showed other leaders' real weaknesses, i.e. an inability to appeal to everyday people."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Campbell, Karlyn. K. (Ed.) Women Public Speakers in the United States, 1925-1993: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 1994.
• DeLeon, David. (Ed.). Leaders from the 1960s: A Biographical Sourcebook of American Activism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 1994.
• Demoss, Dorothy. D. Capitol Women: Texas Female Legislators, 1923-1999. Journal of Southern History, 69(1), 220. 2003.
• Hardy, Gayle. J.. American Women Civil Rights Activists: Biobibliographies of 68 Leaders, 1825-1992. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. 1993.
• Lee, Chana.K. For Freedom's Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. 1999.

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