Fannie Lou Hamer famously addressed the Democratic National Convention in 1964, telling a committee about the high prices she and other activists paid for their work pushing for equal voting rights, including arrests and brutal physical assaults. But her high-profile speech was only one moment in her lifelong fight for civil rights and justice, as told in a new book by historian Kate Clifford Larson, “Walk With Me.” Larson joined Adam Reilly on Greater Boston to talk about Hamer’s life and legacy.
A central theme in the book is how organized religion intersected with the civil rights movement. “For Hamer, her faith was very personal. It wasn’t rooted in a church structure, a building or in any one minister,” Clifford Larson said. “It was a deep and profound faith and understanding of the Bible and what she perceived as God’s love for her. So, it gave her resilience and strength. It helped her look at the world and make sense of it.”
WATCH: ‘Walk With Me’ tells the story of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer
