Fannie Lou Hamer, Religious Faith, BLM, and Socioeconomic Rights and Activism

Fannie Lou Hamer was a Civil Rights activist without much formal education, galvanized by racist injustice in Mississippi, and led by her religious faith. I´m an interfaith UU Christian, and philosophically trace US-UN Civil and Human Rights to a foundation shared with UUism´s Source #4 "Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God´s love by loving our neighbor´s as ourselves." Non-theists frame that their own way. I began appreciating UU Source #1´s "transcending mystery" as the Chinese Tao, "a creative continuum that is always accessible" (as per Huston Smith) and Lao Tzu´s "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao" (S. Mitchell tr.).
In addressing the issues surrounding BLM in various senses, I agree with a number of views expressed at a 1973 Tony Brown roundtable, including Angela Davis´ statement that, "I don´t want to be exploited by blacks or whites...." Then Afro-Am Manhattan boro president Percy Sutton talked about the many different ethnicities in NYC and regular frictions. I want to work more with that video at a later time. Fannie Lou Hamer interests me especially because of her overcoming violent abuse and aligning practical activism, traditionalist Afro-Am Christianity, and insight into the Freedom Farm Co-op enterprise project.
Co-operative, co-owned social business partnerships were developed first in modern forms by UK workers in the 1840s, German civic leaders for small farmers and urban citizens, and modern industrial forms by efforts like an innovative Spanish Basque priest at Mondragon, in Emilia Romagna Italy, and Danish wind co-ops. Robert Owen in the UK had inspired the 1840s group in Rochdale, and had been encouraged himself by Christian doctor T Percival in Manchester to become a pro-social businessman. The anti-slavery abolition movement deserves recognition as well from that momentous time in history around 1790, since dissident Anglican T Clarkson found a supportive anchor and hub in Quakers as he pioneered modern social movement organizing. That included economic efforts like boycotting and "non-slave" product shops. African freedman Olaudah Equitano also led a Sons of Africa group. By the 1830s, the UK´s Rev. FD Maurice began advancing what became known as Christian socialism, followed later in the US by W. Gladden and the Social Gospel movement. By 1895, the international co-op alliance was founded. Harvard grad WEB DuBois was interested in social enterprise. Decades later, after MLK´s lead in the Montgomery bus boycott, African Ams founded the Federation of Southern Co-ops in 1967, that outlasted Ms. Hamer´s project, and both must inspire the Jackson Rising movement associated with late mayor Chokwe Lumumba and his son, current mayor Chokwe Antan. The video below is a church theatrical portrayal of Fannie Lou Hamer.

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