The Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Park District presents an invigorating play “Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak on It! featuring Chicago singer and actress E. Faye Butler, who will bring to life the civil rights activist with music and storytelling.
“Fannie is an unsung hero of the civil rights movement who got lost in the shuffle. We forget about the women who also fought in that battle. She had a sixth-grade education. But she had the power of magnitude that drew people to her, and she made the movement the passion of her life. She would stand up and speak from the heart.” Butler told the Chicago Tribune.
Fannie Lou Hamer was born in 1917 in Montgomery County, MS. She worked in the cotton field with her family at the age of six. In 1962, when Hamer tried to register to vote, she lost her job working on the plantation. She became a civil rights activist working with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and opening her home to Freedom Summer workers.
Fannie Lou Famer traveled around the country, speaking and registering people to vote while ignoring racial violence threats against her.
In 1964, Hamer testified at the Democratic National Convention before the credential committee about the abuse and torture she experienced when she tried to register to vote. In 1971, Hamer unsuccessfully ran for the Mississippi Senate against the incumbent, Robert Cook. Hamer passed away on March 14, 1977, and is buried at The Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Garden alongside her husband, Perry “Pap” Hamer. Her famous quote, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired,” is inscribed on her headstone.
The outdoor performance runs from September 17 – October 3. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Social distancing and masks are required. Attendees should bring their own blanket or chair(s).
The League of Women Votes, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Tau Psi Zeta, and Tau Xi Zeta will be onsite to assist in voter registration and answer mail-in voting questions.
For dates and locations to register, go to https://goodmanpublicity.typeform.com/to/ZLrctweL
Tammy Gibson is a travel historian and blogger. Find her at www.sankofatravelher.com, Facebook, Instagram @SankofaTravelher, and Twitter @SankofaTravelHr.
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