Fannie Lou Hamer’s America Project Wins Humanities Award

JULY 30, 2022 – JACKSON, MS - The producers of a multimodal educational project dedicated to the life and legacy of civil rights activist and humanitarian Fannie Lou Hamer have received an award for their efforts from the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC).  Fannie Lou Hamer’s America was presented with the Preserver of Mississippi Culture Award at the Humanities Council’s 25th annual gala held in Jackson, MS on March 25, 2022. 

View fullsize

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America project team: (l to r) Keith Beauchamp, Joy Davenport, Monica Land, Davis Houck, Maegan Parker Brooks and Pablo Correa. Not pictured RJ Fitzpatrick.

The award was presented by Dr. Temika Simmons, a Delta State University professor, and MHC Board Member, and recognized the various aspects of the project which include: a K-12 digital curriculum designed by Maegan Parker Brooks, Davis W. Houck, Pablo Correa, and several teachers from the Mississippi Delta; a free summer workshop, Sunflower County Film Academy (SCFA), that teaches high school students the art of filmmaking; and a 90-minute documentary, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America. Two members of the project team, Joy Davenport (SCFA founder and director and editor of the film) and Monica Land (producer), accepted the award through a video statement. 

“More than simply a documentary film, the project, following in the spirit of Mrs. Hamer has worked to empower the young people of the Mississippi Delta to share their own stories,” said Dr. Stuart Rockoff, director of the council. “For these reasons we were excited to honor the project team.”

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America, aired nationally on PBS and WORLD Channel in February 2022, and is available on several streaming platforms.  The film is also available for public screenings.

“Through the brilliant directing of Joy Davenport and the skillful production of Monica Land, Mrs. Hamer tells her own story in this documentary, using archival audio and video footage recorded throughout her political and activist career,” said Rockoff. “Viewers see the places Mrs. Hamer delivered her impassioned speeches and hear her powerful voice singing songs that became anthems of the movement.”

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America and several other recipients of the 2022 Public Humanities Awards were named by the MHC in an official press release in December 2021. The annual awards ceremony held in Jackson, began in 1994 and “recognizes the outstanding work by Mississippians in bringing the insights of the humanities to public audiences”. 

View fullsize

The award as designed by Rob Cooper.

The 2022 award was designed by Mississippi artist Rob Cooper, using the modern process of fused glass combined with the age-old technique of hand-painted and fired imagery such as seen in church windows. 

The MHC is celebrating their 50th anniversary and their theme for 2022 is “Reflecting Mississippi”. Cooper’s design honors the anniversary with a gold leaf of the state flower, the Magnolia; as well as the past and present contribution of Mississippians. 

 “This award recognizes the extraordinary efforts to interpret and preserve the history of our state,” Rockoff said. “In creating the Fannie Lou Hamer’s America documentary, the team helped to bring the voice and story of this extraordinary Mississippian to a national audience.”

About MHC: The Mississippi Humanities Council is a private nonprofit corporation funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi. The humanities are the study of history, literature, religion, languages, philosophy, and culture. The Mississippi Humanities Council creates opportunities for Mississippians to learn about themselves and the larger world and enriches communities through civil conversations about our history and culture.