Voting-rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer is born the youngest of 20 children in the Mississippi Delta.
At a Glance
- Date
- 6 October 1917
- Location
- Montgomery County, Mississippi
- Key people
- Fannie Lou Hamer
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Biographical records · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
She rose from sharecropping to challenge the all-white Mississippi delegation at the 1964 convention.
What It Means Now
Hamer's courage made her one of the movement's most powerful voices.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Fannie Lou Hamer Is Born.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fannie-lou-hamer-is-born/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Fannie Lou Hamer Is Born. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fannie-lou-hamer-is-born/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Fannie Lou Hamer Is Born.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fannie-lou-hamer-is-born/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.