Fannie Lou Hamer, activist
Oct. 6, 1917-Mar. 14, 1977
Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)
Hamer was involved with voting rights in the 1960s in addition to being a champion for the poor and underprivileged. The tombstone of this great African American woman reads, "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."
Hamer was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.