Voting rights came at a high price in the South. Fannie Lou Hamer, a black activist not commonly known, worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to register black voters, regardless of the dangers.
In 1964 she put a national spotlight on the issue during the Democratic National Convention when she pointed out the white delegation representing Mississippi. She gave televised testimony that carried such a powerful message President Lyndon Johnson called an impromptu press conference to distract folks.