Fannie Lou Hamer’s America Filmmakers Appear on Tavis Smiley Radio Show
OCT. 5, 2022 – LOS ANGELES, CA
The director and producer of Fannie Lou Hamer’s America were recently interviewed by legendary filmmaker, broadcaster, and author Tavis Smiley on his daily radio show, Unapologetically Progressive KBLA 1580 AM. Smiley, who was born in Gulfport, MS, spoke with director, Joy Davenport and producer, Monica Land about the life and legacy of Mississippi native and human rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer during his one-hour radio show on Monday, Sept. 26.
“[I’ve] been looking forward to this conversation,” Smiley said. “Fannie Lou Hamer…to my mind, is perhaps the most under-appreciated, unknown, under-valued and overlooked activist in the history of this nation.”
Smiley asked Land, who is also Hamer’s niece, why “it has taken so long for Fannie Lou Hamer to come into the consciousness of American citizens?” Land replied in part because she did not have the family support to keep her memory alive that other activists have had such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or Medgar Evers - to elevate her to that level as did Myrlie Evers, Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz who were all highly educated. Hamer’s husband, Pap, had been a sharecropper all his life, with no formal education.
The film, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America was an effort to share and preserve Hamer’s life and works.
Smiley, who has written books about Dr. King, said, “I regard Dr. King, in my own personal assessment, as the greatest American this country has ever produced. And yet, Dr. King was not perfect, he was not human and divine. He was just human. Dr. King made mistakes…And there was one time where there was a difference of opinion as to who was going to be seated at this Democratic convention and I took the side of [Fannie Lou Hamer]. In this instance, Dr. King was wrong. And Fannie Lou Hamer was right.”
Smiley was speaking about the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic where Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (M.F.D.P) were offered two seats at large on the floor and Hamer refused the seats. Dr. King and other Black leaders told the group to accept the compromise, and Hamer refused. It was this and other issues that Smiley said added to Hamer’s legacy including her widely known testimony before the Credentials Committee in Atlantic City, NJ on Aug. 22, 1964.
“Fannie Lou Hamer walked in as she was. No pretense, and she slayed it,” Smiley said. “I’ve never seen anyone testify before a major committee that was more real than that moment. And I mean real all the way around.”
“She just laid her soul bare for the entire nation, which she should not have had to do,” Davenport said. “But she was there on a mission, and she was going to accomplish it. No matter what and they tried to stop her every step of the way. Even the official Democratic Party tried to stop her there in Atlantic City. And she was not going to be stopped.”
The interview can be heard in its entirety on Spotify.
About Tavis Smiley: Tavis Smiley, deemed by many as the voice of Black America, has been host of BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley. His political commentary can be heard on the nationally syndicated, Tom Joyner Morning Show (ABC Radio Networks), and on The Smiley Report syndicated by the American Urban Radio network. In addition to his broadcast work, Smiley is also the author of the critically acclaimed book, HARD LEFT: Straight Talk About The Wrongs of the Right.
Known for his tough interviewing tactics and strong emphasis on issues concerning the African-American community, Time selected Smiley as one of America’s 50 most promising young leaders under the age of 40. Ebony has profiled him as one of Black America’s future leaders. The New York Post screamed, "Look out Larry King, here comes Tavis Smiley!" Essence raves that his political writings, “Show us how to correct America’s swerve to the right.” And Buzz magazine rates him one of the 100 coolest people in Los Angeles. Smiley has made appearances on Geraldo, Politically Incorrect, ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Leeza, and NBC’s The Today Show. Educated at Indiana University, Smiley was previously a top aide to former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.
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