Visit Atlantic City has funded a new video spotlighting civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer’s powerful connection to the city. Part of the Fannie Lou Hamer Digital Driving Tour, the video will mirror the initiatives objective of using heritage tourism to invite visitors to experience Atlantic City through a deep cultural and historical lens. The video will be released on Friday, Aug. 21.
The eight-minute video will interpret Hamer’s historic appearance at the 1964 Democratic National Convention that took place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, where she testified before the Credentials Committee on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and challenged the nation to confront voter suppression, racial violence and unequal political representation. Her testimony, delivered on Aug. 22, 1964, became one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement, with the video release date coinciding with the anniversary of Hamer’s monumental testimony.
Partially told in Hamer’s own voice through archival footage, the video also highlights Atlantic City’s efforts to preserve Hamer’s legacy by featuring Stockton University’s Fannie Lou Hamer Event Room and statue at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, the Civil Rights Memorial Garden, the African American Heritage Museum and the two historical markers dedicated to Hamer on the Boardwalk. The video helps broaden the city’s story beyond its well-known attractions and showcases its role in shaping national conversations about civil rights, democracy and social progress.
“Fannie Lou Hamer’s connection to Atlantic City is a powerful reminder that our destination’s story extends far beyond the beaches and Boardwalk,” said Gary Musich, President and CEO of Visit Atlantic City. “Her historic testimony at Boardwalk Hall helped bring the fight for equal representation to a national stage, and we’re proud to help share that history with audiences near and far. Through heritage tourism, we can invite visitors to experience Atlantic City from a new perspective and better understand the people, moments and movements that helped shape our nation.”
The Fannie Lou Hamer Digital Driving Tour is an online journey through 12 locations that shaped Hamer’s life, activism and enduring legacy. The Atlantic City video is the first featured outside Hamer’s home state of Mississippi and will add a New Jersey site to the tour, connecting viewers to the city where Hamer’s call for political representation for Blacks reached a national audience. Existing tour stops focus on Mississippi communities central to Hamer’s life and work, with additional sites, such as Chicago, planned beyond the state.
“Atlantic City is an essential stop in Aunt Fannie Lou’s story,” said Monica Land, Hamer’s niece and the producer of Fannie Lou Hamer’s America and the Driving Tour Videos. “Her testimony there still speaks to the urgency of equal representation and human dignity. And because of the generous support of Visit Atlantic City, this video will help bring that history to life for audiences worldwide regardless of where they are.”
Created as part of the award-winning film, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America, K-12 educational curriculum, the Digital Driving Tour features short videos and stories that guide audiences through key sites associated with Hamer’s organizing, speeches, faith, community leadership and advocacy for voting rights and her humanitarianism. The videos are available for viewing on the Fannie Lou Hamer’s America website and YouTube channel.
