Fannie Lou Hamer

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Fannie Lou Hamer

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Martin Luther King, Jr. (center), with other civil rights supporters lock arms on as they lead the way along Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington, Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963.

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50 Years Ago: Loving v. Virginia

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Police began to move in the area of 12th Street and Clairmont as hundreds of people fill the street with violence gaining momentum during the 1967 Detroit Race Riot.

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Selma March Infographic. Selma to Montgomery marches, March 1965. Alabama. United States.

Selma March Timeline

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The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

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African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

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Fannie Lou Hamer: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Fannie Lou Townsend
Born	October 6, 1917 • Mississippi
Died	March 14, 1977 (aged 59) • Mississippi
Political Affiliation	Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
Awards And Honors	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025)
Role In	American civil rights movement

Photos

Fannie Lou Hamer

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John Lewis

John Lewis

American civil rights leader and politician

Diane Nash

Diane Nash

American civil rights activist

Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin

American civil-rights activist

James Farmer

James Farmer

American civil rights activist

Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson

American minister and activist

Height, Dorothy

Dorothy Height

American civil and women’s rights activist

Benjamin Mays

American political activist

Henry MacNeal Turner

American civil rights leader and religious leader

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

American religious leader and civil-rights activist

James Baldwin

James Baldwin

American author

Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray

American civil rights activist, lawyer, and writer

Fred Shuttlesworth

Fred Shuttlesworth

American minister and civil rights activist

Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton

American activist

John Oliver Killens

American writer and activist

Charlotta Spears Bass

Charlotta Spears Bass

American editor and activist

Claudette Colvin

Claudette Colvin

American activist

Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold

American artist and author

Stanley Crouch

American journalist and critic

Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine

Daisy Bates

American civil rights leader

Bernice Johnson Reagon

American musician and historian

Quiz

Martin Luther King, Jr. (left of centre) and Malcolm X (right) waiting for a press conference, 1964.

American Civil Rights Movement Quiz

Martin Luther King, Jr. (center), with other civil rights supporters lock arms on as they lead the way along Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington, Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963.

Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About the American Civil Rights Movement