Established by the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) in 2011, the Mississippi Freedom Trail offers a virtual tour of the state and an in-depth look at the people and places that played a pivotal role in the fight for justice and equality. The first Freedom Trail markers were unveiled in conjunction with the Mississippi Freedom 50th Foundation’s 2011 reunion activities for the 1961 Freedom Riders.

Both a visitor attraction and an educational tool, the Mississippi Freedom Trail recognizes the bravery and courage of the men and women who were a part of the movement in the 1950s, '60s and beyond. It serves as an acknowledgement of the state’s dark past, but most importantly, the trail is a reminder of Mississippi’s thriving present and bright future.

In commemoration of those heroes and Mississippi’s pivotal role in the movement, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail was added in 2018, and on May 25, the first marker honoring a woman, Fannie Lou Hamer, was unveiled in her hometown of Ruleville in Sunflower County. Allen Hammons, who helped design the markers, said the honor was well overdue.

“The unveiling of the Mississippi Freedom Trail markers signaled the dawn of a new day in Mississippi history,” Hammons said. “After decades of silence, the state of Mississippi has finally recognized and honored the accomplishments of those ordinary citizens who braved enormous hardship to achieve extraordinary goals. Fannie Lou Hamer was one of them.”

Hamer was the fourth marker unveiled by the MDA for the Civil Rights Trail. Markers for Emmett Till and Medgar Evers preceded Hamer’s.

The ceremony, held at the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Park and Garden, included songs of praise, words of reflection by state and county officials and closing remarks by Charles McLaurin, who worked with Hamer until her death in 1977.

“We all need a hammer, so we can hammer out justice and love all over this land. So we can work together in the spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer,” said Dr. Leslie Burl McLemore, to the crowd gathered to witness the unveiling of a marker honoring Fannie Lou Hamer in Kilmichael. The marker commemorates Hamer’s connection to the small town of less than 1,000 residents. Though Hamer often said she was born in Montgomery County and left there when she was two-years-old, court documents state that she was born in neighboring Webster County, in the small town of Tomnolen. Hamer’s husband, Perry “Pap” Hamer was born in Kilmichael on March 3, 1912.  

Pap and Fannie Lou both worked on the Marlowe Plantation in Sunflower County and were married in July 1944. This was the second marriage for both. They would visit Pap’s family in Kilmichael often including his father Lynn, his stepmother, Pairlee, and his brothers and sister. Fannie Lou would sing at the Hamer family’s church, Shady Grove Methodist. Most of Pap’s family members are buried at Shady Grove which is about five miles from where the marker was unveiled.

Civil rights activist, James Meredith, also attended the unveiling and said although he didn’t know her personally, he had been “interested in Fannie Lou Hamer ever since” he’d “heard about her.”

“I’ve kept up with everything that’s gone on with the Black [community] for many years,” he said. “Ever since I was 18 years old, I’ve really kept up with everything and every body to try to figure out what they were doing. And I have been most interested through the years in Fannie Lou Hamer. Not only because she did so much work, but because she told the truth as she saw it all the time. And that’s what America needs, particularly Blacks.”

Meredith, 90, became the first Black student admitted to the racially segregated University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1962, after much opposition and the eventual intervention of the federal government.

“Right now, I’m in the middle of trying to establish a Black think tank,” said Meredith. “So that everyone that wants to say something, will have a voice somewhere, and Fannie Lou Hamer has spoken to it many times. I went to Kilmichael because I want to establish a greater relationship with her work and her timeline. And because the things that she tried to make happen, are definitely things we need to make happen. So, we have a lot of work to do.”

Additional coverage of the unveiling can be found at WLBT and KKTV 11.

Hamer, Simpson and eight other activists were returning from a voter registration workshop in South Carolina, when their Continental Trailways Bus stopped in Winona on Sunday, June 9, 1963. Winona’s police chief and a highway patrolman were waiting for them; reportedly, the driver had stopped before reaching Winona and made a telephone call.

Simpson, Annell Ponder, June Johnson (age 15), Rosemary Freeman and James West got off the bus to use the restroom and then sat at the lunch counter at Staley’s Café. Hamer remained on the bus. When her colleagues were quickly ushered out of the café, Hamer stepped off the bus to see what had occurred. All were taken into police custody, including Hamer, who was kicked by a police officer as she entered the squad car.

Hamer was viciously beaten by two Black inmates, Solomon Poe and Roosevelt Knox, who were ordered to do so by jail officials or face the same fate themselves. One inmate beat Hamer until he was exhausted, then the other took the blackjack. He too beat Hamer until he was exhausted, and she had passed out. She and the others were released on bond three days later.

The searing trauma of what happened in Winona was always present in Hamer’s speeches, interviews, and oral histories. The beating also catalyzed her activism. Until now, the City of Winona has said little, if anything, about the horrific events that occurred within its metaphoric walls. Fifty-nine years later, however, that silence has been broken.

After months of planning and COVID-19 delays, the Fannie Lou Hamer Marker, spearheaded by Mississippi Valley State University Students, honoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act, was unveiled on Oct. 7, 2020.

After months of intense planning, the group from Mississippi Valley State University received approval to proceed with the project that would erect the first historical marker commemorating the historic stance taken by Fannie Lou Hamer to ensure voting rights for all Americans. MVSU Associate Professor of History Dr. C Sade Turnipseed and students in her Public History course, led by Nigerian native Brian Diyaolu, were given the greenlight by the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors to place the marker at the Sunflower County Courthouse in Indianola to commemorate Hamer’s legacy. 

Civil rights activist Charles McLaurin of Indianola accompanied the MVSU team to present a case to the Sunflower County board detailing Hamer’s significance to Sunflower County and for the implementation of the historical marker.  

On Aug. 31, 1962, a few days after attending her first voter registration meeting, Hamer and 17 others, including McLaurin, traveled 26 miles to the Sunflower County Courthouse to try to register and vote. Hamer said they were met by more policemen than she had ever seen in her life. They were turned away after being unable to pass the required literacy test. Hamer never gave up and eventually helped thousands to register and vote in Mississippi. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965 due in large part to Hamer’s efforts.

Regarding the marker, Turnipseed said her students set a goal of $5,500 for the completion of the historical project, and they achieved that by appealing to local churches, social groups and educational institutions. The Sunflower County Board of Supervisors donated $3,000 and the remaining funds for the marker were given by private donations.

She said the project was a great opportunity for MVSU students to learn about Fannie Lou Hamer’s significance to American history, will ensuring that visitors of the courthouse are also aware of its historical significance.  “At MVSU we sincerely care about historical figures in American history. We want to make sure these cherished and important individuals are remembered in the sands of time,” she said. “Mrs. Hamer falls in this category of people, so we make it our sacred duty to honor her contributions, so that she is not forgotten.” 

And with those words, Fannie Lou Hamer was well on her way to becoming one of the most sought after speakers of her time. Most people who have heard her speak, are very likely aware of this testimony she gave at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 1964. As she testified, she told the world about the torture and abuse she experienced at the hands of local law enforcement because of her attempt to register to vote. Martin Luther King wrote that her “testimony educated a nation and brought the political powers to their knees in repentance, for the convention voted never again to seat a delegation that was racially segregated” (King, “Something Happening in Mississippi”).

Located at the corner of O.B. Avenue and Elisha and Everette Langdon Street in Ruleville, Mississippi, the William Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and its pastor, Rev. J.D. Story played a significant role in the civil rights movement. It was at this church on August 27, 1962, that Fannie Lou Hamer attended her first mass meeting and later attempted to register to vote. This launched her foray into her fight for equal rights.

Along with its civil rights history, William Chapel M.B. Church was also the site of Hamer’s funeral in March 1977. The eulogy was delivered by Andrew Young, then a U.S. delegate at the United Nations and attended by more than 400 people who crowded into the small building.

Tougaloo College served as a refuge for activists during the Civil Rights Movement and became a central gathering place for organizers in Mississippi. The college’s Woodworth Chapel hosted many state and national leaders of the movement, such as Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer.

A group of students known as “The Tougaloo Nine” participated in sit-ins at segregated public institutions, including the Jackson Public Library in 1961. The students refused to leave and were arrested, sparking protests on their behalf. In response to the sit-in and arrests, the American Library Association released a statement saying that its members must welcome everyone, regardless of race. Mississippi, along with Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana, withdrew its membership.

Tougaloo College presented Hamer with a doctor of humanities honorary degree in 1969.