Flakesā stories illuminate civil rights champion āMama Fannieā at MSU event kicking off Black History Month celebration
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.āJacqueline Hamer Flakes, the adopted daughter of famed civil rights pioneer Fannie Lou Hamer, had a unique vantage point of American history: Many nights, she sat unnoticed under the kitchen table as Hamer and others discussed the mental and physical abuse Black people faced in the »ØŠćÖ±²„ Delta during the 1960s and ā70s.
Hamer purposefully shielded Flakes, also known as āCookie,ā and her other adopted children from hearing the storiesāa beating Hamer received in Winona, shots fired into a house where she was thought to be, and voter intimidation from government officials and police in Indianola, among many othersāto guard them from the evils of the world.
āWhen she started speaking, everyone would get quiet. Her voice commanded attention,ā Flakes said. āMama would stand up and put that hand on her hip. When she did, I promise you it wasnāt going to be nice. That was Mama Fannie.
āIt was hard to hear her say all those things,ā Flakes added. āThey didnāt want us to ever go through what they did. They didnāt want us to hear it, feel it or see it.ā
Flakes shared insight into Hamerās life Wednesday [Feb. 1] at Mitchell Memorial Libraryās John Grisham Room, where she also read from and signed copies of her book, āMama Fannie: Growing Up the Daughter of Civil Rights Icon Fannie Lou Hamer.ā Her stories not only shined a light on Hamerās legacy of activism, but they also painted a portrait of her as a mother filled with passion and compassion for others, especially her family.
āI loved her. Hearing her say, āCookie, come here and lay by me because Iām coldāāit wasnāt the coldness; she just wanted to love on me and bond with me,ā Flakes said. āIf you want to know one thing about Mama Fannie: She loved God. Anything she would speak about would have scripture in it. She loved to cook, and she always had people to help.ā
Flakes address comes approximately 54 years after Hamer spoke to MSU students at a campus event sponsored by the Afro-American Plus Club.
āHer message to someone getting an education was you have to make sure you pay it forward,ā Flakes said. āEverybody might not have what it takes to give back, but in some kind of way, pay it forward.ā
Wednesdayās presentation was the first event celebrating Black History Month at MSU. For more events, visit /newsroom/article/2023/01/msu-honors-black-history-month-variety-events-february.
MSU is »ØŠćÖ±²„ās leading university, available online at .