Activist-actor uses 'Fannie Lou Hamer Story' to get out the vote

It was some 20 years ago when Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye got tired of people telling her they didn’t know who civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer was. She decided to do something about it.

Her one-woman play, straightforwardly titled “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story,” has been touring ever since. And this year Aimbaye, who lives in Altamonte Springs with her husband, is using the theatrical piece to encourage participation in the democratic process through candidate forums and voter registration. The play will be performed at Sanford’s Theater West End on Oct. 5 and 6.

It’s a mission Aimbaye takes seriously. Her message when people try to weasel out of their civic duty by claiming all politicians are bad or one person can’t make a difference: “Don’t tell me you’re not going to vote. I don’t want to hear it.”

The Sanford performances will mark her latest stop on a Florida tour that has included Winter Park, Crescent City, Melbourne and Sarasota. She hopes to make it to 20 cities with what she has named the V.O.T.E. Tour — which stands for “Voice Of The Empowered.”


https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/30/fannie-lou-hamer-play-voter-registration-orlando/