Fannie Lou Hamer’s Legacy: An Interview with Keisha N. Blain

"Mainstream narratives of the Civil Rights Movement often mythologize activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. It has taken the work of historians to add nuance and complexity to these narratives. Until I Am Free adds to this growing body of scholarship to ensure that we never lose sight of the ways ordinary people fought to create change in their local communities and beyond."

This quote from Keisha N. Blain, Member in the School of Social Science, is excerpted from her interview with Nicole Gipson, an elected Early Career Member of the Royal Historical Society of the United Kingdom, and 2020 doctorate recipient in American Studies from the University of Manchester.

Blain is a 2022 New America National Fellow, an award-winning historian and writer. She is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh, the president of the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS), and a columnist for MSNBC.

Her latest book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America, will be published by Beacon Press on October 5, 2021. The book explores Hamer's ideas and political strategies, highlighting their relevance for tackling modern social issues including voter suppression, police violence, and economic inequality.

Read more at Black Perspectives, the award-winning blog of the AAIHS.