Seeding the Vote
Our 27th broadside honors Sunflower County, Mississippi, where Hamer planted so many seeds for freedom, suffrage and full citizenship for all. The first half of the quote sits “behind bars,” obscured by the stalks of wilted sunflowers, while the second half is festooned with vibrant yellow blossoms. Hamer’s portrait hovers above a trio of her iconic yellow voter registration buses—which are also designed to be reminiscent of other Civil Rights Movement buses in the American South, including Rosa Parks’ famous bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
— Fannie Lou Hamer
You can learn more about this piece on our blog.
Year created
2018
At issue
Racist voter ID laws that target Black and other minority populations
Edition size
165 prints
Significance of edition number
The Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965.
Donation
To help combat the same racist disenfranchisement that Fannie devoted her life to fighting, a portion of our proceeds goes to Spread the Vote, a nonprofit that obtains government-issued photo IDs to help eligible voters meet the requirements of voter ID laws. Currently 34 states have some form of voter ID law as a requirement for enfranchisement; many of the strictest laws exist in states with a large percentage of Black or other minority voters. With their IDs obtained with the help of Spread the Vote, these same people can also secure housing, jobs and other essentials more easily—helping them participate more fully in society and exercise their rights as Americans.