Anonymous gift helps create new scholarship named for Fannie Lou Hamer at University of Mississippi

Civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer is being honored with a new scholarship at the University of Mississippi thanks to a $100,000 gift to the university from an anonymous donor.

University officials said the gift would establish the Fannie Lou Hamer Scholarship Endowment, providing financial aid for students pursing degrees in African American studies, including Black history, culture and politics.

"We are truly grateful for this gift establishing a scholarship endowment in honor of the late Ms. Hamer," said Lee Cohen, dean of liberal arts at the university. "It will open doors for our students here at the University of Mississippi and provide for future generations for years to come, while commemorating past generations that laid the foundation for progress and change."

Hamer, a Mississippi Delta native, co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964. She famously spoke on about her life as a sharecropper and retaliation she suffered for trying to register to vote at the 1964 Democratic National Convention and spent several years advocating for voting rights and women's rights.

"She worked so hard for the state of Mississippi and is a folk hero," the donor told university officials. "I hope she continues to be an inspiration to students and that this scholarship can provide the financial support to help them achieve their goals."

It was not clear when scholarships from the endowment would be available to students.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Fannie Lou Hamer honored with new scholarship at Ole Miss