The Delta Research and Cultural Institute at Mississippi Valley State University/Department of Social Work is hosting a two-day conference dedicated to the life and work of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. The conference will be in the William W. Sutton Administration Building, Room 103, beginning on September 11 and ending on September 12, 2003.
Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer was born October 6, 1917 in rural Montgomery County, Mississippi. Beginning at the age of six, she worked in the plantation system. Mrs. Hamer became involved in the "Freedom Movement" in 1962 in an effort to encourage black men and women to register to vote. Her efforts caused her to be arrested, brutally beaten in the jail in Winona, MS, and evicted from the plantation where she was living. She shared her experiences with the nation at the National Democratic Party convention in Atlanta City in 1964. It was a turning point in the Civil Rights movement and in the nation.
The conference will feature presentations about other aspects of her life and work including the Freedom Democratic Party, the Freedom Farm, housing and childcare for poor families.
The pre-conference registration fee is $50.00, which includes lunch on Thursday and Friday and conference materials. Continuing education units (CEU's) are available for social workers/sstudents for an additional $5.00.
The Delta Research and Cultural Institute is the University's contribution to the illumination and preservation of the artistic contributions to the world from the people who inhabit the Mississippi Delta. The institute also engages in research to support the need for economic development, expanded educational opportunities and expanded international development activities.
For more information regarding the conference, and conference registration, please contact Dr. L.C. Dorsey, Assistant Director for the Delta Research and Cultural Institute, at 662-254-3794.
Copyright © 2003
Last Modified: September 4, 2003.
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(Labor donated)