On Aug. 22, 1964, 47-year-old Fannie Lou Hamer sat before the ... arts tradition of incorporating folk art forms. This is the same music that infused Hamer’s activism. It is America’s music.

Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist who used singing to promote community and fight for voting rights. Hamer's life and legacy are celebrated in the new Kentucky Opera production, "This ...