Fannie Lou Hamer’s impactful ‘Is this America?’ speech at Democratic convention marks 60th anniversary

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to accept the Democrats’ presidential nomination on Thursday, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of a remarkable speech by Fannie Lou Hamer, where she challenged Mississippi’s all-white delegation during the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Hamer’s powerful testimony to the credentials committee exposed the injustices faced by Black individuals in trying to exercise their voting rights in the segregated South through arbitrary tests and illegal methods to maintain white elites in power.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson highlighted that the issue of ensuring every eligible citizen’s right to vote and have their vote counted still persists. Thompson shared how his involvement in democracy began in 1966 after Hamer encouraged him to register Black voters while he was a college student in Mississippi.

Fannie Lou Hamer, a former sharecropper from the Mississippi Delta, played a pivotal role in organizing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to challenge the leading Democrats in a racially integrated manner. Her question to the credentials committee on whether America truly represented freedom and bravery echoed the sentiment of a nation grappling with racial injustice.

Despite facing beatings and threats to her life, Hamer remained resolute in advocating for voting rights and fair treatment of Black farmers. Recent efforts such as the unveiling of markers to honor the efforts of the Freedom Democrats and the allocation of over $2 billion in direct payments to minority farmers by the Biden administration serve as a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality.

Keisha N. Blain, a historian, emphasized the enduring relevance of Hamer’s activism, citing contemporary issues such as police violence and voter suppression. Hamer’s legacy continues to inspire individuals like Wil Colom, a Mississippi lawyer, who was moved by her speech as a teenager and later met her at her home in Ruleville before her passing in 1977.

Fannie Lou Hamer’s unwavering dedication to civil rights and equality paved the way for historic milestones like the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 and now Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential nomination, illustrating a symbolic passing of the baton in the ongoing struggle for justice and equal rights.