A Partnership of Poetry and Politics: Carole Boston Weatherford’s Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

4/13/2021

BY JENNIFER M. GRAFF & JOYCE BALCOS BUTLER, ON BEHALF OF THE BIOGRAPHY CLEARINGHOUSE

Our current celebration of poetry as a powerful cultural artifact and the national dialogue about voting rights generated by the introduction of 300+ legislative voting-restriction and 800+ voting-expansion bills in 47 states have inspired a rereading of the evocative, award-winning picturebook biography, Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, and published by Candlewick Press in 2015, Voice of Freedom offers a vivid portrait of the life and legacy of civil rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer. Her famous statement, “All my life I’ve been sick and tired. Now I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired” (p.18) serves as a testimonial to the psychological and physiological effects of the injustices and violence inflicted upon Hamer and other Black community members in Mississippi. Additionally, Hamer’s statement signifies her tenacity, conviction, and unwavering fight for voting rights, congressional representation, and other critical components of racial equality until her death in 1977.

"All my life I've been sick and tired. Now I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."

-Fannie Lou Hamer

Throughout Voice of Freedom, Weatherford’s poetry illustrates how Hamer’s stirring speeches, matter-of-fact testimonials, and her penchant for singing spirituals served as rallying cries for freedom and justice. Her roles as leader, mobilizer, organizer, political candidate, and advocate for social, financial and educational programming for Black communities further contributed to her identification as the “spirit of the civil rights movement.” Holmes’ vibrant, textured collages, often “based on or inspired by photographs” (Weatherford, 2015, unpaged back matter), enhance the verbal juxtapositions of humanity and horror, and pay homage to Hamer’s resilience, compassion, and commitment to justice.

Using the Investigate, Explore, and Create Model of the Biography Clearinghouse, we offer teaching ideas focused on the art and science of conveying “emotional weight” and “factual burdens” (interview transcript, p.9) in biographies written in verse. Generating a sense of intimacy punctuated by emotional overtones of hardship and resilience, using first person point of view, pairing and alternating verse and prosaic text, and helping cultivate reader empathy are discussed.

CURRENT BOOK ENTRY

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Harmer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

CONNECTED BOOK ENTRIES

In our desire to honor and reflect Weatherford’s commitment to “mine the past for family stories, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles” (transcript, p.11), we provide a variety of multimedia resources for critical explorations of the past and present regarding:

youth-driven organizations for positive change
access to education for empowerment and transformation
voter suppression via literacy tests, poll taxes, and legislative acts
the significance of song in civil rights movements

Mississippi Voter Registration Application, 1955-1965 (National Museum of American History)

Below we feature one of two time-gradated teaching recommendations included in the Create section of the Voice of Freedom book entry.

Youth As Agents of Change in Local Communities

Weatherford begins Voice of Freedom with Hamer’s own words: “The truest thing that we have in this country at this time is little children . . . . If they think you’ve made a mistake, kids speak out.” Pairing Hamer’s advocacy detailed in Voice of Freedom with contemporary youth activists, guide students in their exploration of how they can (or continue to) be agents of change in their communities.

If you have 1-2 hours...	If you have 1-2 days...	If you have 1-2 weeks...
Using Voice of Freedom, discuss with students how Fannie Lou Hamer was a voice of change for voting rights and Black female political representation during the Civil Rights Movement. Introduce Amanda Gorman, the First Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, to students. As a class, watch Gorman’s reading of her 2021 presidential inauguration poem, "The Hill We Climb." Ask students what message they think Gorman is conveying through her poem. Use the full-text version of "The Hill We Climb Text" for students’ exploration of Gorman’s words. Discuss how Gorman uses her voice to effect change on issues such as civil rights and feminism. Begin an Agents of Change T- chart, using the headings, “Activist” and “Cause.” Ask students what issues Amanda Gorman might be advocating for in “The Hill We Climb.” Ask them about other causes they know about to include on the chart.	Revisit the concept of "agents of change," using the previously completed T-Chart. Watch one or both of the following videos featuring youth activists focused on environmental issues: Genesis Butler Shares Her Vision for Saving Our Planet Mari Copeny: A Water Crisis Activist. Continue to add to the existing T-Chart or create a new chart. Engage in discussions about the choices Genesis and Mari are making, how these affect their communities, and why this classifies them as agents of change. Below are other young activists that you can include in your inquiry: Autumn Peltier: Water Warrior Sophie Cruz: Keeping Families Together Melati and Isabel Wijsen: Bye Bye Plastic Bags See the book entry for additional possibilities.	Discuss the importance of youth activism in tandem with Secondlineblog.org. Have students identify local youth activists or organizations in their area whom they see as a voice of change. Consider using Global Citizen for inspiration. Have students create interview questions for the local youth activist or organization they selected. Students can conduct, record, and interview individuals through Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or other digital platforms. Using their interview recordings as a resource, ask students to create a multimodal presentation on the group or individual. Using Voice of Freedom, “The Hill We Climb,” or the other texts included in these ideas as mentor texts, encourage students to describe the group or individual’s advocacy work in their presentations and include why this makes them agents of change. See the book entry for additional activities.

To see more classroom possibilities and helpful resources connected to Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, visit the Book Entry at The Biography Clearinghouse. Additionally, we’d love to hear how the interview and these ideas inspired you. Email us at [email protected] with your connections, creations, and questions.

Jennifer M. Graff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia where her scholarship focuses on diverse children’s literature and early childhood literacy practices. She is a former committee member of NCTE’s Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction K-8, and has served in multiple leadership roles throughout her 15+ year CLA membership.

Joyce Balcos Butler is a fifth-grade teacher in Winder, Georgia, where she focuses on implementing social justice learning through content areas. She is a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant, a Red Clay Writing Fellow at the University of Georgia, and a member of CLA.

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