Fannie Lou Hamer Boardwalk Marker
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Unveiling and Dedication: August 26, 2020
Location: The JFK Plaza on the Atlantic City boardwalk outside Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey. The new Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party at the 1964 Convention is a few feet away.
“Mr. Chairman, and to the Credentials Committee, my name is Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. And I live at 626 East Lafayette Street, Ruleville, Mississippi, Sunflower County. The home of Senator James O. Eastland and Senator Stennis...”
- Fannie Lou Hamer
And with those opening words, Fannie Lou Hamer was well on her way to becoming one of the most sought after speakers of her time. Most people who’ve heard of Fannie Lou Hamer, more than likely first heard her give this powerful testimony at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 1964.
As she testified, she told the world about the torture and abuse she experienced at the hands of local law enforcement because of her attempt to register to vote. Martin Luther King wrote: “[Hamer’s] testimony educated a nation and brought the political powers to their knees in repentance, for the convention voted never again to seat a delegation that was racially segregated.”
Photo: Members of UNITE HERE Local 54 in Atlantic City, New Jersey held a march in Fannie Lou Hamer’s honor prior to the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to her historic speech before the Credentials Committee on Aug. 22, 1964.
UNITE HERE Local 54 has been representing hospitality workers in the hospitality industry for over 100 years. Our members work as housekeepers, bartenders, cocktail servers, cooks, bellmen, doormen, and other service jobs in the casinos and hospitality industry of South Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. With over 10,000 members, Local 54 is the largest private sector union in the region.
Local 54 is an affiliate of UNITE HERE, an international labor union that represents 300,000 working people across North America. Our members in the U.S. and Canada work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries.
Union honors Fannie Lou Hamer with Boardwalk march, plaque in Atlantic City
The chorus of voices singing This Little Light of Mine among the gathering of union members marching down the Boardwalk was met with fists raised in solidarity, curious onlookers taking photos and the occasional passerby joining the refrain Wednesday night (Aug. 26, 2020).
The Boardwalk march was bookended by impassioned speeches inside the Civil Rights Garden and at Kennedy Plaza outside Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall calling for equality and justice at a time of heightened political and social unrest throughout the country. The demonstration was in honor of civil rights and voting activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who, 56 years ago this week, took a stand against racial inequality during the 1964 Democratic National Convention at Boardwalk Hall, famously stating, "All my life, I've been sick and tired. Now, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."
Organized by Atlantic City casino workers union Unite Here Local 54, Wednesday's event culminated with the unveiling of a framed dedication to Hamer in Kennedy Plaza with the heading, "Jim Crow Grounded in Atlantic City."
"We can never go a day without making sure that people are empowered," said Loreal Chrisp, a union member who spoke to the crowd about the history and significance of the Civil Rights Garden on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. "It's always important to empower the people."
Standing alone off to the side while the final monologues were being delivered at Kennedy Plaza, 3rd Ward Councilman and NAACP Atlantic City chapter President Kaleem Shabazz read the text on Hamer's plaque. Shabazz was in high school when the Democratic Convention came to Atlantic City in 1964 and recalled how significant both Hamer and the national attention that accompanied the convention were in shaping the Civil Rights Movement.
Along with his colleagues on City Council, Shabazz has asked the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority for permission and funding to erect a statue of Hamer in Kennedy Plaza. Shabazz described the statue as a "fitting tribute to a person who committed her life for the struggle for justice and humanity." - David Danzis, Press of Atlantic City.
Photo (left): The text of the plaque as provided by UNITE HERE! Local 54.