Educational film introduces children to the civil rights leader’s life and legacy
NEW YORK, New York – November 3, 2026 - BrainPOP’s animated movie about civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer is now available to watch on YouTube. The short educational film introduces viewers – particularly children - to Hamer’s courageous work for voting rights, racial equality, and political representation in the United States.Designed for students, educators and families, the eight-minute movie features the beloved characters Moby the robot and an inquisitive teenager named Tim and offers an accessible way to explore Hamer’s enduring impact on the civil rights movement and American democracy.A scene from BrainPOP’s Fannie Lou Hamer animated movie
BrainPOP partnered with Fannie Lou Hamer historian and Willamette Associate Professor Dr. Maegan Parker Brooks in 2019 to create the resource to educate younger students about Fannie Lou Hamer. The animated movie appeared on the BrainPOP website and the film, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America’s website as part of their K-12 educational curriculum. Brooks was a consultant and researcher on the PBS/WORLD film and a developer of the curriculum. "Fannie Lou Hamer's story reminds us that ordinary people have the power to change history," said Jon Feldman, BrainPOP's VP of Editorial. "We're thrilled that this movie can now reach an even wider audience."Viewers can watch and share the animated movie on YouTube on the Fannie Lou Hamer’s America channel. # # #
About BrainPOP: A trusted learning resource supporting core and supplemental subjects, BrainPOP’s topics are wide and varied ranging from biographies of scientists, writers, athletes and activists to more crucial events that have altered the course of U.S. history for African Americans. Hamer will be a feature in the African-American collection that also includes topics on: Ruby Bridges, Eloise Greenfield, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and Jackie Robinson.BrainPOP is an award-winning educational platform that engages students and supports teachers, with cross-curricular digital content and features from animated movies, coding projects, student creation and reflection tools, learning games, and interactive quizzes to customizable and playful assessments, lesson plans, professional development opportunities, and beyond. Ideal for classrooms, home, and mobile devices as well as individual, team, or whole-class learning, our resources include BrainPOP Jr. (K-3), BrainPOP (available in English, Spanish, and French), and, for English language learners, BrainPOP ELL. We’re used in a third of U.S. elementary and middle schools and welcome millions of monthly site visitors.About Fannie Lou Hamer: Born in Mississippi in 1917, Fannie Lou Hamer became one of the most powerful voices of the Civil Rights Movement. A sharecropper turned organizer, she helped lead voter registration efforts, co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and challenged the nation to confront injustice through her historic 1964 testimony before the Democratic National Convention’s Credentials Committee. Her legacy continues through educational programs, public history initiatives and community storytelling projects that encourage new generations to “find your voice.”