The Baton Foundation, in partnership with the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, will host a lecture about famed civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. This program is free to the public, but registration is required.

About the Book

Kate Clifford Larson brings a stirring reappraisal of Fannie Lou Hamer’s life and impact on the Modern Civil Rights Movement. Based on her research for her new biography, Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer (University of Oxford Press, 2021), Larson reveals Hamer’s interior life, shaped and fortified by family and faith, and illuminates the forces that made her an electrifying presence when she walked onto stages across the country during the Modern Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Fannie Lou Hamer was an extraordinary American activist whose fight for basic human, civil and political rights helped change the course of the movement. A powerful speaker, she riveted audiences with her calls to stand up and fight for equality and justice. Her style of grassroots activism tested the patience of powerful civil rights leaders who found her unworthy of their respect. Her life story reminds us that some trailblazers, especially women leaders, rise up from the most unlikely places and against tremendous odds. PURCHASE BOOK HERE.

About the Author

Dr. Kate Clifford Larson is a bestselling author of critically acclaimed biographies including Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero and Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. Her latest work, Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer, tells the remarkable story of one of America’s most important civil rights leaders of the 20th century. Praised for her research and insights as a biographer, Larson digs deep into Hamer’s history, uncovering her family roots, personal life, and reclaims Hamer’s faith as a centerpiece of her survival and appeal. Larson accessed recently opened FBI records, secret Oval Office tapes, new interviews, and more, to reveal never-before seen details about Hamer’s life. An award-winning consultant for feature film scripts, documentaries, museum exhibits, and public history initiatives, Larson is frequently interviewed by national and international media outlets. Dr. Larson is a Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center Visiting Scholar.

Register for Zoom Lecture Here