Civil Rights Film Series: Fannie Lou Hamer’s America

One of the Civil Rights movement’s pre-eminent orators, Hamer used stories from her own life to call America to account for the racism that defined every aspect of her existence—from the turn-of-the-century cotton plantations of the Mississippi Delta where she was reared, to her death in an all-black hospital in 1977.  

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America the documentary engages Hamer’s life story—as she told it—foregrounding such themes as the injustice of growing up black and poor in the Mississippi Delta, white supremacist backlash to black voter registration, police brutality, and access to quality healthcare and affordable nutrition.  The film draws connections between these core themes that compelled Hamer’s activist struggle and their clear contemporary resonances.

In an era of heightened state surveillance, increasing inequality, and continuing police brutality, Hamer’s prophetic mission is no less urgent and no less relevant today than it was 50 years ago. 

Film will be followed by a Panel Discussion:

Moderator

Christiana Best, USJ Ph.D., LMSW USJ Assistant Professor Department of Social Work 

Panelists

Joy Davenport, Director of Fannie Lou Hamer's America

Pablo Correa, Ph.D., USJ  Assistant Professor, Digital Media and Communication

Justin Farmer, Activist and Hamden City Councilperson

Sen. Marilyn Moore, 22nd District

Janice Flemming-Butler, Founder of Voices of Women of Color

Program supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.