Alabama Actress Keeps Fannie Lou Hamer’s “Little Light” Shining

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1080;s:4:"file";s:68:"2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-771x434.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:434;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-768x432.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:69:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-1536x864.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:864;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:66:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-553x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:68:"Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Red Mountain Theatre Co.
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:1293080;s:14:"optimized_size";i:656254;s:7:"percent";d:49.25;}s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:96:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:1105032;s:14:"optimized_size";i:468926;s:7:"percent";d:57.560000000000002;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:104:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:11225;s:14:"optimized_size";i:11131;s:7:"percent";d:0.83999999999999997;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:104:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-336x189.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:31021;s:14:"optimized_size";i:30684;s:7:"percent";d:1.0900000000000001;}s:5:"large";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:104:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:82028;s:14:"optimized_size";i:81895;s:7:"percent";d:0.16;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:104:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-470x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:54413;s:14:"optimized_size";i:54365;s:7:"percent";d:0.089999999999999997;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:104:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/02/Billie-Jean-Young-brings-Fannie-Lou-Hamers-story-to-life-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:9361;s:14:"optimized_size";i:9253;s:7:"percent";d:1.1499999999999999;}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1619712110 
1454580680

“I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

~Fannie Lou Hamer~

Actress and Alabama native Billie Jean Young has has done something not many have; she’s performed the same show more than 800 times on four continents. Her one-woman tribute tells the story of a Mississippi sharecropper turned civil rights activist, whose courage and work are often overlooked and in some cases, forgotten. Young says she first met Fannie Lou Hamer in 1969 and was deeply moved by Hamer’s fearlessness.

Below is an extended interview with Billie Jean Young.

 

Fannie Lou Hamer speaking to a crowd.

Fannie Lou Hamer speaking to a crowd.

 

 

Alabama coal mine keeps digging after hundreds of fines and a fatal explosion

Following the death of a grandfather, Crimson Oak Grove Resources has left a community afraid for their homes and lives. An expert warns one resident may need to evacuate her home while she still can.

Florida’s 6-week abortion ban will have a ‘snowball effect’ on residents across the South

Abortion rights advocates say the ban will likely force many to travel farther for abortion care and endure pregnancy and childbirth against their will.

Attitudes among Alabama lawmakers softening on Medicaid expansion

Alabama is one of ten states which has not expanded Medicaid. Republican leaders have pushed back against the idea for years.

Birmingham is 3rd worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, new report says

The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report shows some metro areas in the Gulf States continue to have poor air quality.

Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?

Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care

Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing

Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.

More Arts and Culture Coverage