Sharon Miles, Education Director and Actress with New Stage Theatre in Jackson, MS, will perform the one-woman show featuring the life of Fannie Lou Hamer on October 22. This piece was written over the course of two years and extensive research by Frank Kuhn and Sharon Miles.
Civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer first became involved with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1962. Daughter of sharecroppers from Sunflower County in rural Mississippi, Hamer became one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Not only working to ensure rights on a national level, Hamer worked to expand cooperative farms in her home county and build homes for those in need. Her life was filled with joys and sorrows, all the while trying to fight to be heard and to be the voice for others.
Miles brings the life of Hamer to the stage with humor, poignancy, and passion. Sprinkled with songs featuring her amazing voice, Sharon brings an insightful and moving performance to the stage. Her depth of research on the life of Hamer is evident through the detailed stories she recalls and the energy with which she describes the tribulations of this remarkable Mississippi daughter. Read more about Miles’ connection to Hamer’s story here: https://www.visitwithfannielou.com
The Luckyday Scholars Program is bringing Sharon Miles to Southern Miss for this performance, specifically for the freshmen scholars, but this event is open to all who wish to attend. It is a free event.