Miss. statue unveiled for civil rights icon Hamer
Oct 5, 2012, 6:05 PM
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Hundreds of people gathered in the tiny Mississippi Delta town of Ruleville to dedicate a statue of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer.
Hamer died in 1977. She was known for saying she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
She drew national attention in 1964 when she and other members of the racially integrated Freedom Democratic Party challenged the seating of the state’s all-white delegation to the Democratic National Convention.
She also helped register black voters when doing so put her own life in danger.
The statue was dedicated one day before what would’ve been Hamer’s 95th birthday.
Former Greenville, Miss., Mayor Heather McTeer attended and says Hamer remains an inspiration for people who have ever been told they can’t accomplish something.
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