During a regular meeting on Tuesday, Winona Aldermen discussed attending the Fannie Lou Hamer celebration that will kick off on Friday.
Mayor Aaron Dees some of the free activities that will take place June 9, 10 and 11.
“There are all kinds of activities going on downtown. This year, they’re actually doing a production – a theatrical play. It’s going to be June 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. at the theatre downtown and a 2 o’clock matinee on Sunday,” said Dees. “Feel free to go to that and support Fannie Lou Hamer weekend.”
The weekend, which will commemorate the 60th anniversary of Hamer and other civil rights activists being beaten and jailed in Winona, will offer events including the Fannie Lou Hamer Legacy Landowner Summit which will highlight the Mississippi Center for Justice’s Heir’s Property,highlight the Mississippi Center for Justice’s Heir’s Property presentation, according to a statement released by organizer Vickie Ratliff with Land Literacy and Legacy.
People also can attend a screening of A Round Robin Production Company’s film, “Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer” followed by a discussion led by its creator Robin N. Hamilton.
There will be a theatrical performance at the Montgomery County Performing Arts Center that is inspired by award-winning writer Carole Boston Weatherford’s children’s book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer - Spirit of the Civils Rights Movement, Ratliff stated.
On Monday, June 12, the day Hamer and the other activists were released from the Montgomery County Jail, a community landscaping project is planned at the jail site.
In an interview outside of the meeting about the second annual Fannie Lou Hamer recognition weekend, Dees discussed his anticipation of the upcoming four-day event.
“I signed a proclamation last year, making this Fannie Lou Hamer day,” said Dees. “[I’m] excited for all the festivities that are coming with it. [I’m] very excited about the drama – the play that’s going to be performed. [I’m] excited for all the great things that this brings to the City of Winona.”
