Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
At 1964 Convention
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Unveiling and Dedication: August 20, 2024
Location: The JFK Plaza on the Atlantic City boardwalk outside Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey.
On August 22, 1964, at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, an emotional Fannie Lou Hamer described to the Credentials Comittee the horrors she endured being beaten in jail in WInona, MS and the 16 bullets a would be assassin fired into a home where she had been staying.
She described how she was fired from her plantation job in retaliation for trying to register to vote and she told of arbitrary tests that white authorities imposed to prevent Black people from voting and other unconstitutional methods that kept white elites in power across the segregated South.
“All of this is on account of we want to register, to become first-class citizens,” Hamer told the committee.
Hamer’s words were so powerful, then president Lyndon B. Johnson tried to divert attention away from her by calling an impromptu press conference to announce that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated nine months ago that day. But his ploy failed. Fannie Lou Hamer’s riveting testimony was shown on every major television network that evening and from that point on, she became one of the most sought after speakers of her time.
The 1964 DNC in Atlantic City was a pivotal moment in civil rights history, playing a crucial part in challenging racial segregation and standing as the defining event of Freedom Summer. This convention led to significant advancements in the Civil Rights movement and it was the last time the Credentials Committee would seat delegates on the basis of their race.
The Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker unveiled on August 20, 2024 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, honors Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party's efforts toward equality at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, which was held at Boardwalk Hall. This is the first Freedom Trail Marketo be unveiled outside the State of Mississippi, and is part of a series that commemorates the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Freedom Summer voting rights movement.
Marker Program.
Program Cover
Story of the MFDP at the 1964 DNC
Presenters on the program
Program Back
Ceremony and Unveiling.
Officials prepare to unveil the marker
(l to r) John Spann of the Mississippi Humanities Council; Civil Rights activists Dave Dennis and Roy DeBerry; MS Gov. Tate Reeves; NJ Lt. Governor Tahesha Way; Mayor of Atlantic City Marty Small and Atlantic City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz
Attendees read the new marker
Roy DeBerry of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee points to a photo of himself as a teen on the new marker. In 1964, DeBerry was part of a racially-integrated group protesting the seating of an all-white Mississippi delegation to the Democratic National Convention.
Hundreds attended the unveiling
(l to r) Tiya Morris, daughter of Civil Rights activist Euvester Simpson who was jailed with Hamer; John Spann; Dave Dennis; Roy DeBerry; MS Gov. Tate Reeves; Ralph Hunter of the African American Heritage Museum; NJ Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way; Mayor Marty Small and Councilman Kaleem Shabazz
(l to r) Tiya Morris, John Spann, Dave Dennis, Roy DeBerry, MS Gov. Tate Reeves; Tahesha Way, Marty Small and Kaleem Shabazz
Crowds surround the new marker
The survivors of a group that worked with Fannie Lou Hamer (wearing t-shirts) attended the unveiling. To the left is a marker dedicated to Hamer in 2020
Media Reports.
Fannie Lou Hamer's efforts for equal rights for everyone were celebrated at the unveiling of a marker in Atlantic City as well as at the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago in August 2024. This news clip features NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Robert Luckett of the Margaret Walker Center.
John Spann, Program and Outreach Officef for the Mississippi Humanities Council, U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson and Civil Rights activist Dave Dennis are featured in this news clip.
Photo credits on this page: Press of Atlantic City, Matthew Strabuk, Ted Shaffrey, Derek Cason, John Spann and the Mississippi Humanities Council and the New Jersey Council for Humanities.
Dave Dennis, who attended the marker unveiling and the DNC in Aug. 1964 talks about the work of the MFDP.
Additional media reports: Atlantic City, AP News and New Jersey Council for Humanities.
Fannie Lou Hamer speaks to the Credentials Commitee on Aug. 22, 1964 in this clip from the film, Fannie Lou Hamer's America. Hear her entire speech here.
Speakers and Attendees.
Civil Rights activist Dave Dennis Sr
NJ Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way
Civil Rights activist Roy DeBerry
Tiya Morris, daughter of Civil Rights activist Euvester Simpson
John Spann, Mississippi Humanities Council
Atlantic City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz
Mayor of Atlantic City Marty Small
Roy DeBerry, Dave Dennis, Tiya Morris and John Spann
Visit Atlantic City CEO Larry Seig
Crowd at the unveiling
A mixed crowd attended the unveiling
Crowd at the unveiling
Unveiling attendees
Larry Seig
John Spann, Tiya Morris, Kaleem Shabazz and unidentified woman
Survivors of those who worked with Fannie Lou Hamer
Kaleem Shabazz, Tahesha Way and Marty Smalls
Roy DeBerry
Mayor Marty Small and others at the unveiling
Roy DeBerry, John Spann and Dave Dennis Sr