The Influence of Civil Rights Leaders on American Society
The continued growth of the American public and the concurrent establishment of the country's status in the world have been significantly influenced by a number of notable individuals. Influential people with a desire to advance civil rights over the past 140 years have made contributions to policy development as well as the promotion and implementation of pertinent tactics that increase political sovereignty and the recognition of individual human rights and civil liberties. These leaders followed through on their convictions that the realization of a unified country depended on the protection of the various groups of people who were being subjected to prejudice and repression by powerful individuals and the government. As such, activism is a process that entails the participation of all members of the society in both the political and civil aspects of the land. The civil rights fought for include similar service provision, access, protection, expression, freedom of assembly, travel, worship, voting and dissemination of ideas through the available media channels (Land, 2016).
Fannie Lou Hamer: A Champion for Voting Rights and Racial Equality
This paper discusses a renowned civil rights leader known as Fannie Lou Hamer, who is one of the most prominent personalities in the fight for voting rights and racial equality in the mid-20th century. Her works and achievements are still relevant and recognized in the society today.
Hamer's Contribution as a Voting Rights Activist and Civil Rights Leader
Fannie Lou Hamer's contribution to the country is entrenched in her active participation as a voting rights activist, the leader of the civil rights movement, and also as a compassionate individual. Hamer not only took part in the creation of the Mississippi Freedom Summer but also was the vice chairperson of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. One of the greatest influences Hamer showed was the challenge directed towards the Mississippi's all-white and anti-civil rights group in the year 1964. This delegation failed in the representation of all the residents of Mississippi. In her quest to ensure freedoms liberties, Hamer, through the Freedom Democrat's umbrella, lured nationwide attention by presenting a challenge to the then president Lyndon B. Johnson. Fannie Lou Hamer was invited to address the Convention's Credentials Committee where she highlighted the adverse problems concerning registration and her jail experience. In a strong statement, Hamer categorically mentioned that the movement wants all people to register and be considered first-class Americans. If that doesn't happen, then America's pride as a free land and a home for the brave becomes questionable.
The Fight for Voting Rights and Racial Equality
While this speech had its own force of nature, Hamer also fought for the right to vote by recruiting followers all over Mississippi. She was also jailed and beaten in Montgomery County. However, her persistence saw the founding of the Freedom Democratic Party and eventually the revelation of the deeply-rooted discrimination in the south to the entire nation. All these feats by this brave woman to ensure racial equality are remembered by the society. In fact, Andrew Young Jr., a United Nations delegate, says that most of the people today would still be suffering had Hamer not fought for the civil rights (Biography.com Editors, 2015). Fannie Lou Hamer is thus recognized and respected for her tireless championing for equality, as an authentic voice for the oppressed, and also as a representative of the black people struggle in Mississippi. Furthermore, her achievements broke through the gates of discrimination and thus opened the path to the expansion of civil liberties across the United States.
The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer
In the contemporary society, everyone, regardless of color, has the right to register and vote as well as the freedom of expression and participation in the political and civic sphere without discrimination. In a nutshell, it is through Fannie Lou Hamer's efforts and other influential activists like her that the American nation recognizes all people to be equal and accords all citizens their fundamental civil liberties. According to Land (2016), Hamer's famous quote "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired," is acknowledged by many for her sacrifices through sweat and blood and unrelenting struggle to liberate the oppressed.
References
Biography.com Editors. (2015, January 17). Fannie Lou Hamer Biography. Retrieved from The Biography.com website: https://www.biography.com/people/fannie-lou-hamer-205625
Land, M. (2016). Fannie Lou Hamer gets her due. Lansing State Journal, Retrieved from https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2016/10/05/fannie-lou-hamer-gets-her-due/91570806/.
