Mothers of the Movement

Photos from The Library of Congress

This March 2026, Community Renewal Society (CRS) celebrates Women’s History Month, an occasion to recognize well-known trailblazers and also uplift unsung heroes. Beyond the spotlight are courageous women who strategized in churches, led mass campaigns, and risked their lives to obtain the rights we have now. Their history is no longer in the headlines, but their resistance resides in modern-day mobilizers.

Among these pioneers are Mothers of the Movement, women who nurtured liberation struggles. Leaders such as Septima Poinsette Clark, whose literacy and citizenship programs educated disenfranchised Black communities, and Fannie Lou Hamer, who co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and boldly challenged voter suppression at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, laid the foundation for social progress within the Voting Rights Movement and broader Civil Rights Movement.

The battles for representation and equality are ongoing. Each ballot cast is a testament to the sacrifices of women like Clark and Hamer who faced racism, violence, and systemic barriers so that future generations could have a voice.

As CRS commemorates this significant month, we call you to vote. Civic engagement is more than a constitutional right. By exercising our power at the polls in the Illinois General Primary Election on March 17, and in elections after, we affirm that the tireless work of our ancestors was not in vain and defend their dream of an inclusive democracy.