Sublime

stemmed from her frustration with the slow pace of change in American politics. African Americans had waited long enough, Hamer reasoned, and the time for politicking and posturing was over. She pointed to a pattern of behavior among activists to compromise for the sake of progress—only to be further delayed in attaining their goals: “[T]hat’s what

I’m praying for another Great Awakening where God shakes the Church in America and helps us to see the truth about race and how our misunderstandings have stained the vision.

He had gone into prison hardly able to write a letter and would emerge on the path to becoming an orator, a leader, and a preacher.

If I learned from State v. Johnson the limits of law in a society unwilling to do justice, Holmes v. Danner taught me that sustained social agitation, moral suasion, and political action can create an environment in which people in power feel compelled to do the right thing.

I must not ignore the wounded man on life’s Jericho Road, because he is a part of me and I am a part of him. His agony diminishes me, and his salvation enlarges me.

We want people over us that’s concerned about the people because we are human beings. . . . And we can no longer ignore the fact that we can’t sit down and wait for things to change because as long as they can keep their feet on our neck, they will always do it. But it’s time for us to stand up and be women and men. —FANNIE LOU HAMER1

For Hamer, the issue of involuntary sterilization was as urgent as that of police brutality and other manifestations of state-sanctioned violence.