Black history is told through life of activist Fannie Lou Hamer

Photo by Brianna Peoples
Treasure Shields Redmond sang in the middle of each of her poems just as Fannie Lou Hamer did.

Brianna Peoples, Assistant Tempo Editor

The Lewis University African American Studies program collaborated with the Illinois Humanities Council to host the event Black History (Present and Possibilities) Series: Black Women, Activism, and the Arts on Feb 12.

The speaker at the event was Treasure Shields Redmond, an acclaimed poet and English professor at Southwestern Illinois College. Titled “The Life and Import of Fannie Lou Hamer,” Redmond’s presentation spoke about black history, women’s activism and poetry through the life of Fannie Lou Hamer.

“I am delighted to present the work of Treasure Shields Redmond, who showcases the work of Fannie Lou Hamer, a comparatively unsung visionary,” said Dr. Tennille Allen, professor of sociology, who hosted the event.

“Redmond’s intense interest in Hamer resulted in a poem series about Fannie Lou Hamer entitled ‘Chop, a Collection of Kwansabas for Fannie Lou Hamer,’ which was co-winner of the Winged City Chapbooks RA/AM chapbook contest.”

Hamer was an American voting rights activist, civil rights leader and philanthropist who was critical in organizing the Mississippi’s 1964 Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Fannie Lou Hamer’s life story and a general black history presentation was a big cultural pull for many students.

“Being an African-American, I wanted to learn more. I wanted to learn about what it’s like being an African-American, a minority, on campus. So, I go to events like this one and Black Lives Matter,” said Aleece McDuffy, freshman philosophy of law major.

Redmond’s interactive presentation was combined with historical facts and poems from her book “Chop, a Collection of Kwansabas for Fannie Lou Hamer.” Each poem was a kwansaba, a poetry form created by Redmond’s father, which consists of seven lines, seven words in a line and no more than seven letters in each word. Following the belief that God liked the number seven, her father also created the poetry form in honor of Fannie Lou Hamer.

“I come from a family of writers and thinkers. My mother was a visual artist and a writer; and my father was a poet. So, I was always given permission to have multilayered conversations; and given permission to be an artist,” Redmond said. “Conversations about race, gender, class and the intersections of that are just my favorite conversations.

And it’s just so intriguing, how we mess this human thing up. How we mess up just being kind to each other. It feels easy to me. So, I’m always worrying that around.”

According to the Lewis University website, the African American Studies minor includes courses from a variety of disciplines, such as sociology, history, literature, philosophy, psychology, communications, political science and social work.

The minor provides a framework for understanding African-American history and culture, contemporary triumphs and struggles of African Americans. The Illinois Humanities Council website says that it works to build dialogue across all sectors of society to examine issues important to democracy in the focus areas of public policy, media & journalism, business, and art.

Using the humanities as tools to stimulate discussion, they create experiences across Illinois through programming, events and grantmaking to engage a diverse public on ideas and issues that matter.

More black history events scheduled for the month are Free Speech versus Multicultural Sensitivity on Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. in AS 158, What About Reparations for Slavery and Jim Crow? on Feb. 26 at noon in the D’Arcy Great Room and Black History (Present and Possibilities): Politics and Protests on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in the D’Arcy Great Room.