Theater fans, rejoice! “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story”, an award-winning play about one woman’s struggle to rise above her poor beginnings and campaign for the right to vote, is coming to Theatre West End in Sanford. For two showings on Oct. 5 and 6, you can catch “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story” being performed by award-winning vocalist Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye.
“The Fannie Lou Hamer Story, Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired” tells the story of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, a woman who rose from humble beginnings as a sharecropper on the Mississippi Delta to become an instrumental part of the fight for voting rights - particularly for Black citizens - during the 1950s, eventually becoming known as the Mother of Voter Registration. The play is celebrated for its themes of resilience, courage, and community empowerment, and has won multiple awards over the course of its nearly decade-long run, including accolades from the National Black Theater Festival and Atlanta Black Theater Festival.
Mizuri Moyo Aimbaye, whose name means “beautiful heart who sings”, has been the one-woman face of the Fannie Lou Hamer Story for over two decades and has been winning awards the entire time. Inspired by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson as a child, Aimbaye says that she was inspired to bring Mrs. Hamer’s story to the stage after seeing her talk about a brutal beating she received after coming back from a voter’s registration workshop in 1963. When asked about the one thing she wanted audiences to take away from seeing her play, Aimabaye said she wanted to remind people of their “inalienable right to vote.”
“Everyone should participate in the voting process,” Aimbaye said. She also expressed a fear that the nation has “gone backwards” regarding people’s enthusiasm for voting and having their voices influence the people in charge.
To support her goal of increasing voter turnout, “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story” is coming to Sanford as part of a statewide tour to encourage voting ahead of the upcoming presidential election. The Voice of the Empowered (V.O.T.E.) tour is headed by Healing Through the Sound of Music, Inc. (HSTM), a non-profit organization founded by Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye in 2001. The organization’s mission is to uplift the vital legacies of people like Fannie Lou Hamer through music and song. As part of the tour, HSTM will be setting up a voter’s registration table manned by the League of Women Voters. If you’re not registered to vote and you want to be, be sure to do so there.
The Fannie Lou Hamer Story will be available for two showings: one on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m., and the next on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. As a special event, both shows will also be celebrating Ms. Hamer’s 107th birthday on Oct. 7.
Advance tickets to see The Fannie Lou Hamer Story are currently available through the Theatre West End box office for $25. Tickets purchased at the door will cost $30. Due to the discussion of mature topics and depictions of violence, “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story” is recommended for audiences aged 13 and up.
