Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Liberal Studies

Advisor

Justin Rogers-Cooper

Subject Categories

Africana Studies | Arts and Humanities

Keywords

Citizenship, Democracy, Inclusion, Freedom, Liberation, Equality

Abstract

This thesis examines the life, political rhetoric, and enduring legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer, focusing on how her lived experiences under Jim Crow shaped the development of a distinctive political voice grounded in dignity, moral conviction, and democratic struggle.  Born into a Mississippi sharecropping family and denied the educational and political opportunities afforded to white Americans, Hamer developed an understanding of injustice through the realities of racial and economic oppression. Her experience with segregation, voter suppression, violence, and the Black church became central to the way she understood citizenship and was able to articulate the demands of freedom.

Through an examination of Hamer’s speeches, testimony, and political activism, this thesis argues that Hamer transformed personal experience into a powerful form of political rhetoric.  Her voice was not simply a reflection of the civil rights movement but she would shape the language necessary to assert authority of lived experience and subjugated knowledge while making the experiences of Black Mississippians visible in political discourse. Her testimony before the credentials committee at the 1964 Democratic National Convention demonstrates the power of this rhetoric as Hamer challenged the nation to confront the contradiction between its democratic ideals and the lived reality of Black Americans.

Drawing on scholarship concerning Black political thought, rhetoric, gender, citizenship, and democratic participation, this thesis situates Hamer within a broader tradition of Black freedom struggles while emphasizing what was distinctive about her political voice. Ultimately, this thesis argues that Hamer’s significance extends beyond her place in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, but as a voice that offered an enduring framework for understanding citizenship, political responsibility, and collective freedom.

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