Zoe Spencer, a professor at Virginia State University who won an Emmy Award this year for her spoken word piece “Say Her Name,” will be the keynote speaker at the Stockton University’s 17th Annual Fannie Lou Hamer Human and Civil Rights Symposium at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 6 via Zoom.
The event pays tribute to the civil rights activist who is famous for her speech at the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City where she sought to prevent the seating of an all-white delegation from her home state of Mississippi.
“We will miss the excitement of having a live audience,” program coordinator and Professor of Communications and Africana Studies Donnetrice Allison said. “But through Zoom we have the opportunity to reach an even larger audience to honor Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights icon.”
The symposium has a long tradition at Stockton of sharing Hamer’s story and work. In 2018 the Board of Trustees named the event room in the newly opened Atlantic City Academic Center the Fannie Lou Hamer Event Room.
Previous speakers at the symposium have included Cornell West, Shaun King, and N.J. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver. The event will include a compilation video of the past 17 years of the event, which has also included dance and musical performances featuring Stockton faculty and students.
Spencer has dedicated her life to addressing all forms of oppression. Her work addresses “neo-lynching” and state-sponsored violence in America. Her spoken word piece “Say Her Name” pays homage to the victims of historic and contemporary lynching in America.
The symposium is sponsored by Stockton, the Africana Studies program and the Unified Black Students Society.
The event is free on Zoom, but participants are asked to register at stockton.edu/fannielouhamer.
