Hamer's Medal of Freedom and where to see it

On January 4, 2025, President Joe Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to nineteen people at the White House. Fannie Lou Hamer was one of the honorees who had died; she received the medal posthumously, almost 48 years after her death in Mound Bayou. It is the highest civilian honor the United States gives.

Why did the medal go to Mississippi?

In October 2025 her family donated the medal to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. WJTV quoted Monica Land, Hamer's niece, saying the family saw the honor as one to share, and hoped more people would learn about Hamer's life. The museum director, Michael Morris, said curators would decide where to place it in the galleries.

The choice fits. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, which MDAH runs, sits in Jackson a few hours' drive from Ruleville, and it already tells the story of the Freedom Democratic Party and the 1964 convention. Keeping the medal in a public archive also means it will be preserved under professional care.

How should you plan a visit?

Check the Two Mississippi Museums website before you go, because displays rotate and the museums post changes there. The museums have offered free admission on Sundays and on some special days, including Hamer's birthday in some years. If you have a full day, drive north afterward to Ruleville to see her grave and statue; our memorial garden page has directions.

What did the award recognize?

The White House announcement honored her work for voting rights. The medal arrived 61 years after a president tried to talk over her on live television, a detail worth sharing with students. Our page on presidents and Hamer follows that history from Lyndon Johnson to Joe Biden.