Fannie Lou Hamer’s Medal of Freedom:

A Lasting Tribute

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, MS, stands as a powerful testament to the struggles and triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement. Opened in December 2017, the museum features eight interactive galleries that chronicle the fight against racial injustice, from the era of slavery through the pivotal events of the 1960s and beyond.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum features prominent figures whose bravery and determination helped shape the fight for equality such as Medgar Evers, Vernon Dahmer, James Meredith and Fannie Lou Hamer.

Their stories, along with those of countless other grassroots organizers and community leaders, are brought to life through artifacts, oral histories, dynamic displays and compelling exhibits that illustrate the collective strength that propelled the Civil Rights Movement forward and honors those brave foot soldiers who challenged oppression and demanded change.

In January 2025, Fannie Lou Hamer was posthumously awarded the highest honor granted a civilian - the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That medal, a symbol of her extraordinary dedication to justice and equality, is now on permanent display in the gallery featuring Hamer's famous words at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, “I Question America”.

As visitors step into the Museum and this honored exhibition, they will be immersed in stories of courage, pain, and hope, and moved to reflect on the courageous leadership, sacrifice and tireless advocates for civil rights like Fannie Lou Hamer.

Watch The Ceremony

President Joe Biden presented Fannie Lou Hamer’s Medal of Freedom to her niece, Doris Hamer Richardson at the White House on January 4, 2025. Hamer's family donated the medal to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in October 2025. The medal went on permanent display at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on February 10, 2026.

Photos From The Ceremony

Fannie Lou Hamer’s Presidential Medal Of Freedom on display at the Mississippi Civil Rigths Museum in the "I Question America" gallery.

Fannie Lou Hamer’s niece, Marilyn Mays (left) represented the family at the official unveiling of the Medal at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Feb. 10, 2026.

Also present for the event was Michael Morris (center), executive director for The Two Mississippi Museums and (left) Hamer’s nephew and Hinds County Tax Collector Eddie Fair.

Michael Morris, executive director of the Two Mississippi Museums explains how Fannie Lou Hamer's testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention changed American politics.

Also pictured are Hamer’s niece, Marilyn Mays (left), and (right) Winona, MS historian Vickie Roberts Ratliff.

Media Coverage.

WAPT

WHUC

Mississippi Today

WJTV

WHUC

Additional Photos

Marilyn Mays and activist MacArthur Cotton.

A photograph from outside Staley’s Cafe in Winona, Mississippi where Fannie Lou Hamer and several others were arrested in JUne 1963 returning from a voter registration workshop. They were viciously beaten in jail.

Fannie Lou Hamer’s Medal Of Freedom on display with other artifacts from the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) which Hamer and several others founded in April 1964.

Marilyn Mays reflects on the contributions and sacrifices of her aunt.

Artifacts at the Museum include documents from the trial for the five law enforcement officers charged with having Fannie Lou Hamer and several others beaten while in a Winona jail in June 1963.