Her life1971
Hamer's 1971 campaign for the Mississippi State Senate
Why Fannie Lou Hamer ran for the Mississippi State Senate in 1971, what her platform proposed on welfare, voting, schools and taxes, and what the race showed.
In short
In 1971 Fannie Lou Hamer ran for the Mississippi State Senate from Sunflower County and lost. Her printed platform, held by Mississippi State University Libraries, promised to represent all the people of Sunflower County and called for full welfare benefits, mobile voter registration, a voting age of 18, Black history in schools, free school lunches, an end to the fee system that paid sheriffs per arrest, and a uniform property tax so large landowners paid their share.
- Year
- 1971
- Office
- Mississippi State Senate
- Area
- Sunflower County
- Result
- Lost
- Platform source
- Delta Ministry papers, Mississippi State University Libraries
- Poster
- 1971 campaign poster in MDAH's Hamer collection
Why did she run in 1971?
By 1971 the Voting Rights Act had added thousands of Black voters in Sunflower County, and Black candidates across the Delta were running for local and state office for the first time since Reconstruction. Hamer had lost the 1964 congressional primary when few Black citizens could vote. This time the electorate was different, and she ran for the state senate seat covering her county.
What did her platform say?
Her printed platform, now in the Delta Ministry papers at Mississippi State University, said she would represent all the people of Sunflower County and set out proposals in five areas.
| Area | What she proposed |
|---|---|
| Welfare | Pay full need instead of a fraction; hire Black workers in policy jobs; use federal funds for housing for the poor and elderly; a state medical aid program |
| Voting | Mobile voter registration; easier residency and registration deadlines; a voting age of 18; fair rules for independent candidates |
| Schools | Required teaching of Black history; teacher tenure after three years; more funding; remedial courses; free lunch for poor students |
| Law enforcement | End the fee system that paid sheriffs and constables by the arrest |
| Taxes | A uniform property tax rate so large landowners and businesses pay their share |
How did the race turn out?
She lost. The Freedom Trail marker in Ruleville lists the 1971 campaign among the milestones of her life and notes that it was unsuccessful. It was her last campaign for office, though she went to the 1972 Democratic National Convention as a delegate.
What does the campaign show?
The platform reads as a summary of what she had fought for since 1962: votes, food, schools and fair treatment by the law. It is a good primary source for classrooms. Compare it with her 1964 testimony and with the goals of the National Women's Political Caucus, which she helped found the same year.
Questions readers ask
Did Fannie Lou Hamer win the 1971 state senate race?
No. The Mississippi Freedom Trail marker in Ruleville records the 1971 run as unsuccessful. It was the last time she ran for office.
Where can I see her campaign materials?
Mississippi State University Libraries' online exhibit, A Celebration of Fannie Lou Hamer, includes her 1971 platform. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History's Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer Collection includes a 1971 campaign poster.
Why is this page called reep.html?
The address was used by an earlier site on this domain for a page about a person we could not identify from public sources, so we do not profile anyone here. We used it for her 1971 campaign.
Sources
- Hamer Campaign Platform (1971)Mississippi State University Libraries, A Celebration of Fannie Lou Hamer
- Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer Collection (T/012)Mississippi Department of Archives and History
- Fannie Lou Hamer historical markerHistorical Marker Database
- Fannie Lou HamerMississippi Encyclopedia
We checked every date and name on this page against the sources above. If you find an error, write to contact@fannielouhamer.info.
Continue in the archive
- MovementWomen's Political CaucusHow Fannie Lou Hamer joined Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem and others to found the National Women's Political Caucus in Washington in July 1971.
- Her lifeFull biographyThe full life of Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), from Sunflower County cotton fields to SNCC, the Freedom Democrats, Atlantic City and the Freedom Farm.
- Her lifeFreedom Farm CooperativeHow Fannie Lou Hamer's Freedom Farm Cooperative and pig bank tried to feed and house poor families in Sunflower County from 1969 into the mid-1970s.
- MovementFreedom Democratic PartyHow the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party formed in 1964, challenged the all-white state delegation in Atlantic City and refused the two-seat compromise.