Femi Lewis About.com Guide: 'In 1964 [Fannie Lou] Hamer traveled to the National Democratic Convention with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

Fannie Lou Hamer

Civil Rights Women

By Femi Lewis, About.com Guide June 30, 2013

Fanie Lou Hamer was born one of 20 children in rural Mississippi. Her parents were sharecroppers. By the time she was 13, Hamer could pick 200 to 300 bales of cotton per day. To many, it might seem like her life's work would be one filled with manual labor.

But Hamer had other ideas.

In the 1950s, she began attending civil rights meetings. By the 1960s, Hamer stood up and volunteered to register to vote. But she was not alone. Hamer encouraged other African-American men and women to register as well--singing Christian hymns.

In 1964, Hamer traveled to the national Democratic Convention with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Their purpose: to challenge all-white delegates from the state. Hamer's work gained national attention.