“Aunt Fannie Lou experienced things that many people today can’t even begin to imagine: The atrocities of Jim Crow and segregation, gross miscarriages of justice and the constant threat of intimidation and death. Her vision of equal rights for everyone has yet to fully materialize. But her sacrifices and her efforts to achieve that goal should never be forgotten.”
– Monica Land, niece of Fannie Lou Hamer
WMM release FANNIE LOU HAMER’S AMERICA (dir. Joy Davenport, prod. Monica Land) passes the microphone back to civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer, who fought for basic and civil rights and against Jim Crow racism, violence, and murder in 1960s America. WMM release HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD (dir. Lily Rivlin) explores the united effort of 21st-century experts in the political activism field, such as Heather Booth, who founded the first academy for grassroots organizing.
This June and July, through both in-person and virtual residencies, attendees will convene in Mississippi for a week of “Freedom Summer: 60 Years Later” to learn about and honor the original Freedom Summer 1964 advocates, including Fannie Lou Hamer, Bob Moses, and Amzie Moore. These individuals taught at Mississippi Freedom Schools and encouraged Black residents to register to vote to resist the brutal racism they witnessed. The dates of this event, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and other prominent organizations, are as follows: June 6, 2024 (virtual); July 8-12, 2024 (residential); June 20, 2024 (virtual); and July 22-26, 2024 (residential).
Both films are available to book and purchase.
