‘Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America’

In her new book, Keisha N. Blain combines traditional historical biography with modern social commentary to paint a full picture of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer.

Air Date: October 5, 2021 10:00 am

In this Aug. 22, 1964 file photograph, Fannie Lou Hamer speaks before the credentials committee of the Democratic national convention in Atlantic City. (AP Photo/File)

Over four decades after Fannie Lou Hamer’s death, her words are an important rally call to those fighting for racial and economic equality: “We have a long fight and this fight is not mine alone, but you are not free whether you are white or black, until I am free.” In her new book, University of Pittsburgh historian KEISHA N. BLAIN writes about Hamer’s life, activism and legacy, and how the challenges she endured as a Black woman living in Mississippi did not derail her commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. Blain joins us to discuss the faults in American society and this social justice icon’s valuable insights on how we might yet continue the fight to help the nation live up to its core ideals of “equality and justice for all.” Her new book is, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America.

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