Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Gardens, Ruleville, MS

When Fannie Lou Hamer was dying in the winter of 1977, she had a last wish for fellow Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee activist and friend, Charles McLaurin: “Mac, don’t let them bury me on a plantation.” And with that final wish, McLaurin moved heaven and earth to redeem Hamer’s final wish. With help from local officials and an attorney, McLaurin was able to secure land that had once been home to Hamer’s local co-op, Freedom Farm. For many years, Hamer and her husband’s grave sat inconspicuously off of State Highway 8. But thanks to McLaurin’s fundraising acumen and vision, he helped transform this lonely area into a vibrant park with a beautiful bronze statue dedicated to Hamer on the occasion of her 95th birthday in 2012.