Fannie Lou Townsend

1917 - Fannie Lou Hamer, born on the 6th of October, in Montgomery County, Mississippi. She was the granddaughter of slaves. Her family were sharecroppers - a position not that different from slavery. Hamer had 19 brothers and sisters. She was the youngest of the children.

1962 - When she was 44 years old, SNCC volunteers came to town and held a voter registration meeting. She was surprised to learn that African-Americans actually had a constitutional right to vote.

1964 - She co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The MDFP challenged the all-white Mississippi delegation to the Democratic National Convention. She spoke in front of the Credentials Committee in a televised proceeding that reached millions of viewers.

1977 - She died on the 14th of March, at the age of 59.