KEISHA N. BLAIN'S UNTIL I AM FREE: FANNIE LOU HAMER'S ENDURING MESSAGE TO AMERICA.

The text discusses the author's personal journey to understand poverty and their relationship with Black history. Growing up in a predominantly white suburb, the author reflects on their privilege and the challenges they faced, including racial bullying and the absence of Black history in their education. The author pursued higher education and focused their research on urban poverty, but had limited knowledge of Fannie Lou Hamer. They attended a conference where they asked questions about the experiences of Black women in the 1960s and whether Hamer was on food stamps, but received no answers. They later collaborated with Keisha N. Blain, the author of "Until I Am Free," which provided answers to their questions and shed light on the experiences of southern Black women and the effects of rural poverty. The author emphasizes the importance of learning and fighting against ignorance and racism, and describes themselves as a Black historian. They also discuss the personal and sacred nature of Black history for Black scholars. [Extracted from the article]