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Civil Right’s Film Series: Fannie Lou Hamer’s America
April 8, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
FreeOne of the Civil Rights movement’s pre-eminent orators, Hamer used stories from her own life to call America to account for the racism that defined every aspect of her existence—from the turn-of-the-century cotton plantations of the Mississippi Delta where she was reared, to her death in an all-black hospital in 1977.
Fannie Lou Hamer’s America the documentary engages Hamer’s life story—as she told it—foregrounding such themes as the injustice of growing up black and poor in the Mississippi Delta, white supremacist backlash to black voter registration, police brutality, and access to quality healthcare and affordable nutrition. The film draws connections between these core themes that compelled Hamer’s activist struggle and their clear contemporary resonances.
In an era of heightened state surveillance, increasing inequality, and continuing police brutality, Hamer’s prophetic mission is no less urgent and no less relevant today than it was 50 years ago.
Film will be followed by a Panel Discussion:
Moderator
Christiana Best, USJ Ph.D., LMSW USJ Assistant Professor Department of Social Work
Panelists
Joy Davenport, Director of Fannie Lou Hamer’s America
Pablo Correa, Ph.D., USJ Assistant Professor, Digital Media and Communication
Justin Farmer, Activist and Hamden City Councilperson
Sen. Marilyn Moore, 22nd District
Janice Flemming-Butler, Founder of Voices of Women of Color
Program supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
*This is a virtual event- online only