Explores the Black activist’s ideas and political strategies,
highlighting their relevance for tackling modern social issues
including voter suppression, police violence, and economic
inequality.
A blend of social
commentary, biography, and intellectual history, Until I Am Free
is a manifesto for anyone committed to social justice. The book
challenges us to listen to a working-poor and disabled Black woman
activist and intellectual from the past as we grapple with
contemporary concerns around race, inequality, and social justice.
Hamer’s ideas and fearless activism reveal how we all, regardless
of race, gender, sexuality, ability, economic status, or educational
background, have the power to transform society.
Born in Webster
County, Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977), the youngest of
20 children, was the granddaughter of enslaved people and worked as a
sharecropper before dedicating herself to activism.
Hamer’s 1964
televised speech before the DNC’s credentials committee was
delivered before millions, and addressed two central issues that
remain relevant today: voter suppression and state-sanctioned
violence. Hamer described the scare tactics and violence she and
other African Americans experienced and their lack of access to the
vote. Throughout her life, Hamer fought for Black voting rights,
social justice, women’s empowerment, human rights and economic
rights.