Fannie Lou Hamer. Civil Rights Leader. Fannie Lou was a Civil Rights activist whose work laid the foundation for the Voting Rights Act. She grew up with a mobility disability from surviving polio as a child. As an adult, Fannie Lou was arrested and brutally beaten for her efforts registering Black people to vote. Her injuries became additional lifelong disabilities she lived with. Her personal experiences as a Black disabled woman could not be separated. She worked to end exclusion and advocated for all people to have access to the ballot and economic opportunity.