Why I Vote

Poet Nikki Giovanni explains why she will always vote. She tells the story of Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer, born in rural Mississippi in 1917. She lost her job because she registered to vote. She co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which challenged the all-white delegation, led by Senator John Stennis, to the 1964 Democratic Convention. What happened next motivates Nikki to use her voice in voting.