The Fannie Lou Hamer Legacy Committee invites you to join us for The 30th Anniversary Commemoration Celebration of the homegoing of our revered Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. Activities will run from March 1 through March 3, 2007 in Ruleville and Itta Bena, Mississippi.
The program will begin with a musical tribute to Mrs. Hamer on Thursday evening, March 1, 2007, 7:30 PM, on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, MS (Approximately 30 miles from Ruleville). The musical tribute will feature contributions by the Mississippi Valley State University choir, Dr. Bernice Johnson-Reagon, Hollis Watkins, Vincent Harding, and Charles McLaurin.
On Friday morning, March 2, 10 AM, still on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University, the Sunflower County Freedom Project, a group from Sunflower, Mississippi, will present the play: "Five Feet Four Inches Forward," that celebrates the life of Mrs. Hamer. Friday afternoon we will move to Ruleville, MS, Mrs. Hamers hometown, to view photos, video clips and other Hamer memorabilia and hear testimonies from some of those who worked and struggled along side her.
Friday evening, we will have a commemorative forum at William Chapel Baptist Church in Ruleville to acknowledge the contributions of Reverend Joe D. Story who opened William Chapel to the Movement and gave support to Mrs. Hamer and other valiant freedom fighters during the difficult days of the 1960s.
Saturday morning will feature a parade in Ruleville that will end with the laying of a wreath at the Hamer grave site which is currently under construction with a gazebo and other new developments. The program will continue on Saturday afternoon with an outdoor barbecue and testimonies and orations from some of those whose lives were touched and enriched by Mrs. Hamer. A social gathering for Civil Rights Movement Veterans will conclude our activities Saturday night.
We are extremely pleased and honored to have the opportunity to stage these programs to stoke the legacy of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer in her hometown. It is important that we keep her legacy alive and, above all, raise her up as a source of strength, courage, and emulation for our youth. It is our sacred duty.
As a grass roots organization, we are inviting you to join us in our attempt to make this commemorative event one that is enjoyable and most importantly, one that is educational. We feel that these events are very important to the city of Ruleville as well as the Mississippi Delta region. The events surrounding Fannie Lou Hamer and her legacy will be a part of the continuous efforts of preserving the history that is pertinent to both Mississippi and the nation.
Our committee consists of members from various organizations located throughout the Mississippi Delta. Our members have consistently participated in efforts to collaborate and build ongoing partnerships with communities and/or organizations to promote community development. The Fannie Lou Hamer Legacy Committee consists of:
Shirley Edwards, Mayor of Ruleville
Hattie Jordan, Alderwoman-City of Ruleville
Edgar Donahoe, Sunflower County Supervisor
Charles McLaurin, Civil Rights Activist (SNCC)
Patricia M. Thompson, ROAR
Mack H. Jones, Mississippi Valley State University
Leslie McLemore, Jackson State University
Hollis Watkins, Southern Echo
Yolanda Clark, Community Activist
Rickey Hill, Mississippi Valley State University
Margaret Kibbee, Civil Rights Activist
Jimmy Lacy, Fannie Lou Hamer Nephew
Tazinski Lee, Mississippi Valley State University
Darrell Moore, Amzie Moore Estate
Jean W. Rawlings, Hamer Cultural and Learning Center
David Rushing, Sunflower County Historical Society
Dr. Ron V. Myers, Sr. Juneteenth Foundation
Arlene Story-Sanders, The Rev. J. D. Story Estate
Stacy J. White, Sunflower Historical Society
Freddie White-Johnson, Hamer Cancer Foundation
We are inviting all people of good will to come to Mississippi and join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Mrs. Hamer.
For more information, please check our websites at www.fannielouhamer.info/news or flhc.blogspot.com if you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact Patricia M. Thompson at (612) 275-4148 or email roar@fannielouhamer.info. You may also contact Dr. Mack H. Jones (662) 254-3794 or mhjones@mvsu.edu.
Sincerely Yours,
Patricia M. Thompson
Executive Director/Founder
ROAR
Copyright © 2006
Last Modified: December 31, 2006.
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