Voice of Freedom
Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
Age 10+
People & Places
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
A 2016 John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner
Stirring poems and stunning collage illustrations combine to celebrate the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, a champion of equal voting rights.
“I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Despite fierce prejudice and abuse, even being beaten to within an inch of her life, Fannie Lou Hamer was a champion of civil rights from the 1950s until her death in 1977. Integral to the Freedom Summer of 1964, Ms. Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention that, despite President Johnson’s interference, aired on national TV news and spurred the nation to support the Freedom Democrats. Featuring vibrant mixed-media art full of intricate detail, Voice of Freedom celebrates Fannie Lou Hamer’s life and legacy with a message of hope, determination, and strength.
Creators
Carole Boston Weatherford has written numerous award-winning books for children, including Becoming Billie Holiday, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, which won a Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, and the Caldecott Honor-winning Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which also won an NAACP Image Award. Carole Boston Weatherford lives in North Carolina.
Ekua Holmes is a fine artist whose work explores themes of family, relationships, hope, and faith. In 2013 she was named to the Boston Arts Commission, which oversees public art projects on city property. Voice of Freedom is her first picture book. Ekua Holmes lives in Boston.
