Flakes鈥 stories illuminate civil rights champion 鈥楳ama Fannie鈥 at MSU event kicking off Black History Month celebration
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擩acqueline Hamer Flakes, the adopted daughter of famed civil rights pioneer Fannie Lou Hamer, had a unique vantage point of American history: Many nights, she sat unnoticed under the kitchen table as Hamer and others discussed the mental and physical abuse Black people faced in the 无尽资源采集 Delta during the 1960s and 鈥70s.
Hamer purposefully shielded Flakes, also known as 鈥淐ookie,鈥 and her other adopted children from hearing the stories鈥攁 beating Hamer received in Winona, shots fired into a house where she was thought to be, and voter intimidation from government officials and police in Indianola, among many others鈥攖o guard them from the evils of the world.
鈥淲hen she started speaking, everyone would get quiet. Her voice commanded attention,鈥 Flakes said. 鈥淢ama would stand up and put that hand on her hip. When she did, I promise you it wasn鈥檛 going to be nice. That was Mama Fannie.
鈥淚t was hard to hear her say all those things,鈥 Flakes added. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 want us to ever go through what they did. They didn鈥檛 want us to hear it, feel it or see it.鈥
Flakes shared insight into Hamer鈥檚 life Wednesday [Feb. 1] at Mitchell Memorial Library鈥檚 John Grisham Room, where she also read from and signed copies of her book, 鈥淢ama Fannie: Growing Up the Daughter of Civil Rights Icon Fannie Lou Hamer.鈥 Her stories not only shined a light on Hamer鈥檚 legacy of activism, but they also painted a portrait of her as a mother filled with passion and compassion for others, especially her family.
鈥淚 loved her. Hearing her say, 鈥楥ookie, come here and lay by me because I鈥檓 cold鈥欌攊t wasn鈥檛 the coldness; she just wanted to love on me and bond with me,鈥 Flakes said. 鈥淚f you want to know one thing about Mama Fannie: She loved God. Anything she would speak about would have scripture in it. She loved to cook, and she always had people to help.鈥
Flakes address comes approximately 54 years after Hamer spoke to MSU students at a campus event sponsored by the Afro-American Plus Club.
鈥淗er message to someone getting an education was you have to make sure you pay it forward,鈥 Flakes said. 鈥淓verybody might not have what it takes to give back, but in some kind of way, pay it forward.鈥
Wednesday鈥檚 presentation was the first event celebrating Black History Month at MSU. For more events, visit /newsroom/article/2023/01/msu-honors-black-history-month-variety-events-february.
MSU is 无尽资源采集鈥檚 leading university, available online at .