Fannie Lou Hamer was a key figure in the fight for civil rights in the United States. Before she became an important voice for equality and justice, she was a little girl who loved to learn and worked hard to help her family survive. Explore how she used her powerful voice to improve her community and encourage others to elect leaders that would treat them fairly.
My review:
I have always known about suffragist throughout history. They were the vocal women who stood up to gain voting rights for women but they were white women. Fannie Lou Hamer was also a suffragist in her own right but of course, I had never heard of her until I read this book. Is that sad? Yes!
What is even worse is she lived in my lifetime, and I still did not know who she was. However, now I know who she is and was.
The summary says she was a key figure and boy was she! From the time she was young she was fighting to be seen. A child who contracted polio and one of 20 children, she had to use her voice to be heard. I was thrilled to read about how she at first was not noticed but kept giving speeches and showing up to rallies. She kept telling others that African American people deserved the right to vote because they also deserved to be treated as human beings. She believed it so much that she even went to jail for it and was brutally beaten but she kept fighting. She marched with key figures, like Martin Luther King, and bodily ran for office several times. Finally, being elected as a representative to the Democratic National Convention. She made herself known and because of her, black women today are able to vote and run for office without fear. Thank you to Fannie Lou for your fearlessness and standing up against racism.
5 stars.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
About the author:
Margeaux Weston is a neurodivergent author and editor. As a writer, she creates nonfiction stories for young readers, including two in the A DAY THAT CHANGED AMERICA SERIES: THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON and BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (Capstone Press), and 20TH CENTURY AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY FOR KIDS (Rockridge Press).
She is currently the nonfiction editor at Hugo nominated FIYAH LIT magazine. As an editor, she has worked with several publishers, including each of the big 5, on books for a variety of audiences.
Margeaux currently lives in Louisiana with her husband and three boys.
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