Hamer Honored With Statue

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Hundreds of people gathered Friday in the tiny Mississippi Delta town of Ruleville to dedicate a statue of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer.

Hamer, who died in 1977, 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 Mississippi’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 the ceremony and says Hamer remains an inspiration for anyone who’s ever been told they can’t accomplish what they want to do.