What The Last Name "Obama" Means

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the meanings of the last name (surname) "Obama", with a focus on the Kenyan (Luo) meanings of that name.

The content of this post is presented for onomastic (the study of name origins and meanings) purposes.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.

Thanks to former President Barack Obama for raising worldwide awareness to the Luo surname "Obama".     

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SURNAME (LAST NAME) OBAMA
These sources are presented in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. 

SOURCE #1  
from AI Overview
"The surname Obama primarily originates from the Luo ethnic group in Kenya, where it means "to lean," "to bend," "bent over," or "limping", and is often an ancestral name referring to a family characteristic or a child born bent or in a breech position.

Origins and Meanings

• Luo (Kenya): Derived from the root word obam, meaning "to lean" or "to bend". It historically functions as an ancestral surname or can describe a physical posture, a walking style associated with an ancestor, or a child born bent/limping.

• Fang (Central Africa): In western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon), Obama is a common Fang masculine name meaning "hawk".

• Japanese: Written as 小浜 or 小濱, Obama is a Japanese surname and place name meaning "little beach" or "little island".

Related Name Meanings (Barack Hussein Obama)

• Barack: Derived from the Semitic root B-R-K (Arabic Barakah / Hebrew Barak), meaning "blessed" or "lightning".

• Hussein: An Arabic name derived from the root H-S-N, meaning "good," "handsome," or "beautiful".

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SOURCE #2
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_(surname)
"Obama (surname)

Origin

Languages       Fang and Luo, Japanese

Meaning          Limping (Luo)

Little beach (Japanese)

Region of origin          African Great Lakes, Middle Africa, Japan

Obama is a surname. It most commonly refers to Barack Obama (born 1961), the 44th president of the United States.

Origins

Obama is a common Fang masculine name in western Central Africa. It means "hawk".[1]

Obama is a common Luo surname. It means "to lean", "to bend",[2] "bent over", or "limping".[3]

Obama, also translated as Ohama or Kohama, (小浜 or 小濱) is a Japanese surname literally meaning "little beach" or "little island". It was the surname of a samurai clan.[4]

Notable people with this surname

Barack Obama (born 1961), 44th president of the United States

Family of Barack Obama, an extended family of American and Kenyan heritage, including:

Michelle Obama (born 1964), wife of Barack Obama, and Vice President for Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Hospitals

Barack Obama Sr. (1934–1982), Kenyan economist and father to Barack Obama

Sarah Onyango Obama (1922–2021), also known as Sarah Ogwei, Kenyan educator and philanthropist, the third wife of Barack Obama's paternal grandfather

Auma Obama (born 1960), paternal half-sister of Barack Obama

Malik Obama (born 1958), paternal half-brother of Barack Obama

Florent Obama (born 1991), a Cameroonian footballer

Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, Equatoguinean prime minister 2016–23

Jōkō Obama (小浜浄鉱, 1886–1948), a Japanese bureaucrat and politician

Natsuki Obama (小濱なつき, born 1984), a Japanese fashion model and actor

Pedro Obama (born 1987), Equatoguinean footballer

Ricardo Mangue Obama Nfubea (born 1961), Equatoguinean prime minister 2006–08

Salomón Obama (born 2000), Equatoguinean footballer

Youssef Obama (born 1994), an Egyptian footballer"

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The Decreasing Popularity In The United States of The Personal Name "Donald"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents excerpts from several online articles about the decreasing popularity in the United States of the personal name "Donald". 

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/mickey-mouse-built-house-verses-that.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Mickey Mouse Built A House" Rhymes That Aren't A Part Of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes (reprint & updates)"

That post includes information that the Disney animated cartoon and comic-book character "Donald Duck" first appeared in "Mickey Mouse" films in 1934.  As indicated in Source #1 below, 1934 was the year that the name "Donald" achieved its highest ranking in the top 1000 names in the United States.

It seems likely to me that the main reason for the uptick in people giving the name "Donald" to their newborn sons in 1934 was people's increased familiarity with that name because of the  Disney character "Donald Duck". 

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ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT
These sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

SOURCE #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald
"Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name Dòmhnall.[1] This comes from the Proto-Celtic *Dumno-ualos ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder").[2][3][4] The final -d in Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English speakers. A short form of Donald is Don, and pet forms of Donald include Donnie and Donny. The feminine given name Donella is derived from Donald.[1]

[...]

Although the feminine given name Donna is sometimes used as a feminine form of Donald, the names are not etymologically related.[1]"...
-snip-
"The name Donna is an Italian feminine given name meaning "lady" or "woman," originating from the classical Latin word domina, which means "lady of the house" or "mistress" ". [from AI Overview]

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SOURCE #2
From https://www.washingtonsun.com/donald-trump/donald-baby-name-popularity
"Naming Your Kid ‘Donald’ Has Never Been So Unpopular"

“Donald” is the nation’s 690th most popular baby name amid the president’s return to the White House.

By Dave Levinthal, June 23, 2026

"President Donald Trump wants his name on most anything: money, buildings, airports, warships, even the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

But one item is increasingly out of reach: newborns.

In 2025, the baby name “Donald” hit its lowest point of popularity in U.S. history, according to data maintained by the Social Security Administration and reviewed by NOTUS.

The federal agency received fewer than 400 Social Security card applications for baby Donalds last year, making “Donald” the nation’s 690th most popular baby name amid Trump’s return to the White House for a second term

“Donald” peaked in popularity in 1934, when more than 30,400 American babies received the name, and remained within the top 100 through 1990.

But even as Trump’s notoriety in business, entertainment and politics grew, the baby name “Donald” continued to decline, Social Security Administration data indicates.

In 2004, when the first season of Trump’s hit television show “The Apprentice” premiered, “Donald” had fallen to No. 263. In 2013, the year World Wrestling Entertainment inducted Trump into its Hall of Fame, “Donald” sat at No. 415.

And in 2016, when Trump won his first presidential term, “Donald” sank to No. 489.

“Donald” did tick up a few notches in 2017, Trump’s first year in office, but continued its nearly unabated free fall for the next eight years, losing more than 200 popularity places by 2025."...
-snip-
With regard to name rankings, #1 is the top (most popular) name. The bigger the number, the less popular the name is.

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SOURCE #3
From https://www.facebook.com/christinaloreynews/posts/shockingly-no-one-wants-to-name-their-baby-donald-anymore-the-name-has-officiall/1529500798997160/ 
by Christina Lorey, October 3 2026

 "Donald baby name hits lowest point in US history

 SHOCKINGLY, no one wants to name their baby “Donald” anymore! The name has officially hit its lowest point in U.S. history 📉

According to data from the Social Security Administration, less than 400 newborns were given the name over the last year.

That drops Donald all the way down to 690th on the nation’s list of popular baby names.

To put that into perspective, the name peaked back in 1934 when more than 30,000 babies were named Donald. It comfortably held a spot in the top 100 for over five decades. But over the last several years, the name has seen an unprecedented, steady free-fall.

Even in Florida—a major political stronghold for the President—parents only minted 21 baby Donalds last year. The name is now tied in popularity with historical anomalies like "Abner" and "Enoch," and it ranks entirely behind names like "Maximus" and "Keanu."

Naming experts suggest that even die-hard supporters are dodging the name simply because parents of all political stripes prefer to avoid attaching massive, polarizing political discourse to a newborn.

Meanwhile, the First Lady’s name isn't seeing a boost either. "Melania" briefly broke into the top 1,000 back in 2017, but it hasn’t managed to crack the charts since.

It turns out that attaching a name to one of the most polarizing figures in modern history is a surefire way to clear out the maternity wards 🤪

“Adolf” isn’t very popular either…"

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"Mickey Mouse Built A House" Rhymes That Aren't A Part Of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes (reprint & updates)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is a reprint and update of the 2025 pancocojams post "Mickey Mouse Built A House" Rhymes That Aren't A Part Of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky Rhymes".

This 2026 post includes the only comment that is found as of this date in that post's discussion thread. (I wrote that comment).

That 2025 post remains in this pancocojams blog. Visitor comments are welcome iregarding that post and regarding this 2026 post.

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This pancocojams post presents examples from various online sources of "Mikey Mouse" children's recreational rhymes that aren't a part of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes.

This post serves as a compilation of some examples of "Mickey Mouse" children's recreational rhymes that aren't part of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky". The link for that pancocojams post is given below. 

This content is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/09/donald-trumps-name-replaces-donald-duck.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Donald Trump's Name Replaces Donald Duck In A "Mickey Mouse Built A House" Verse That Is Included In A 2021 "Down By The Hanky Panky" Children's Rhyme".

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DISCLAIMER: This pancocojams compilation isn't meant to be a comprehensive documentation of "Mickey Mouse recreational rhymes.

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For what it's worth, I've never came across any examples of these rhymes when I was directly collecting rhymes in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area from about the late 1980s to around 2006. 

My direct collection efforts were almost always in predominately African American communities. I wonder if these "Mickey Mouse Built A House" rhymes were/are chanted by African Americans in those communities or were/are chanted by African Americans elsewhere in the United States. 

Please share any examples of these rhymes that you know with demographic information such as where (city, nation) and when (year/decade). Also, for the folkloric record, please also include the race/ethnicity of those who chanted these rhymes. Thanks in advance!

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INFORMATION ABOUT THESE RECREATIONAL RHYMES 
"Mickey Mouse Built A House" (or "Had A House" or "Lived in A House", and similarly titled rhymes) are English language children's recreational rhymes that are found in the United States, The United Kingdom, Australia, and probably other English speaking countries.

The earliest examples of these rhymes that I've come across (as of 2026) appear to be from the 1950s (although the year 1936 is given in parenthesis for a citation that is given as Source #1 below, United Kingdom.)  

The Mickey Mouse Club House television series began airing in 2006. As such, that television series wasn't the earliest source for these rhymes. However, it's very likely that that television series helped popularize these "Mickey Mouse built a house" recreational rhymes.
My guess is that all or most of these "Mickey Mouse" rhymes were composed by children, but I'm not certain of that.

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The primary source of these rhymes may have been the 1933 Disney cartoon "Building a Building" that featured Mickey Mouse and one of his early antagonist (villains) named Pete. This film pre-dates the introduction in 1934 of the character "Donald Duck" into the world of Mickey Mouse films.

These recreational children's rhymes appear to me to have been created by children and most, if not all of them, have been/are used as elimination rhymes (choosing "it" rhymes.) 

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"Mickey Mouse Built A House" rhymes have been/are usually chanted as elimination rhymes ("choosing it", "counting out" rhymes.)

"Mickey Mouse Built A House" (and similar titles) have been/are chanted by themselves as independent (stand alone) rhymes. They have also been chanted as part of (in combination with) lines/verses of other recreational rhymes such as long forms of certain versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".

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One sub-plot of the Mickey Mouse films, cartoons, and television series that feature Donald Duck- including the Mickey Mouse Club House series - is that Donald Duck is jealous of Mickey Mouse having the spotlight. Therefore, out of spite, Donald Duck is often depicted as messing up Mickey's plans. Specifically, in some of the "Mickey Mouse built a house" sub-set of the Mickey Mouse rhymes, Donald Duck accidentally or on purpose "messes up" (destroys) Mickey Mouse's house. 
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Duck for the Wikipedia page on Donald Duck. That page includes information about that character's relationships with Mickey Mouse.

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LINKS TO OTHER PANCOCOJAMS POSTS THAT ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO THIS POST
In 2022 I published a pancocojams post that compiled examples of Mickey Mouse Built A House (or similarly titled) rhymes that are included in long forms of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes:https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/09/mickey-mouse-built-house-rhymes-in-long.html  " Mickey Mouse Built A House" Verses In "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes"

Most of the examples in that 2022 pancocojams post are from an online Mudcat folk music discussion thread that is entitled "Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034&messages=489&page=10&desc=yes [Note: That hyperlink is for the first page of a 10 page Mudcat discussion thread that I began in 2006. As of October 26, 2025 that discussion thread is still open for comments/examples with the latest example being from November 24, 2025. 

In September 2025 I published a complete reprint of that post, with some additions and corrections. Some of those additions were from that 2022 post's comment section. https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/09/mickey-mouse-built-house-verses-in-down.html "Mickey Mouse Built A House" Verses In "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes (reprint & updates)."

A few of those examples aren't from the "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" family of children's recreational rhymes. Those rhymes are also included in this October 2025 pancocojams post.  

Since I published that September 2025 post, I've come across other "Mickey Mouse Built A House" rhymes that aren't in that pancocojams post. Some of those examples are from.https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/pme8mi/down_by_the_banks_of_the_hanky_panky   "Comments/Nostalgia: Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".

That long Reddit.com discussion thread began in 2021 and (as of October 27, 2025) it is still open for comments/examples.

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SOME EXAMPLES OF MICKEY MOUSE CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES WITH OR WITHOUT DONALD DUCK) THAT AREN'T A PART OF "DOWN BY THE HANKY PANKY" RHYMES

Numbers are given for referencing purposes only. 

Source #1
From https://dokumen.pub/counting-out-rhymes-a-dictionary-9780292711037.html
"[page] 345
Mickey Mouse (He) bought a house. See 346. Mickey Mouse built a house Under an apple tree, Mickey Mouse called his house Number twenty-three. Also found as a jump-rope rhyme; see JRR, p. 122. Opie (1959), 111 [Dublin].

Mickey Mouse In a public house. See 355. -141 -

[Page] 346

Mickey Mouse Lived in a house. What color was it? "Red." R-E-D spells red And you are he. Opie (1969), 59 [since 1936]. "Mickey Mouse bought a house. / What colour did he paint it?" Howard, NYFQ, 16 (i960), 140 [Australia 1954-1955]. Ritchie (1965), 47 [Edinburgh]. Begins "Mickey Mouse / He bought a house."

Mickey Mouse made (planned) a house. See 366. 347

Mickey Mouse was in a house Wondering what to do. So he scratched his bun-tiddly-um, Out goes you. Opie (1959), 111 [Farnham, Surrey]."

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Source #2
[Pancocojams Editor's Note:
This version of "Mickey Mouse Built A House" is included in the magazine article "LIFE : Mickey Mouse at 90: LIFE Celebrates An American Icon, published by the Editors of LIFE, 2018]
From https://www.google.com/books/edition/LIFE_Mickey_Mouse_at_90/xDFxDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=mickey+mouse+built+a+house+donald+duck+messed+it+up&pg=PT115&printsec=frontcover
…“His name is still uttered by children around the United States in the playground rhyme (a variation of eenie meenie minie mo) that starts “Mickey Mouse, built a house; Donald Duck messed it up. Who will pay the con-se quen-ces, Mouse or Duck?"

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Source #3
From https://www.hydrohotel.net/PS18.pdf
"[Rhymes for Games]

collected 1997-2004 by Ken Cockburn [In Painted, spoken, Number 18, 2008

Mickey Mouse

In his house,

Pulling down his trousers,

Quick, mum,

Smack his bum!

What colour was his pants?

[colour - spell this out while counting round]

And [colour] you must have on.

[If you don't have this colour on you're out.]

[Aberdeenshire] Scotland"

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Source #4
From https://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showthread.php?t=810&styleid=1
"Skipping/playground rhymes

02-14-2006

Kevin Andrew Murphy

northern California in the late 60s/early 70s

[…]

Mickey Mouse built a house. How many bricks did he use?

*answer*

One two three (and so on) and you are not it."

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Source #5
From https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1fnj0hp/what_were_some_weird_rhymes_you_used_to_sing_or/
1. "ullfinch88, 2024

A variation on eeny-meeny-miney-mo:

Mickey mouse, in his house, pulling down his trousers. Hey mum, dirty bum, you are not it!"

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Reply
2. ViridianKumquat, 2024
"For us it ended "quick, Mum, smack his bum, that's the end of part one!"

We never did find out how the saga continued in part 2."

**
Reply
3. pippysquibbins, 2024
"There was also

Donald duck, done some muck on the kitchen floor

Mrs duck, swept it up and Donald done some more"

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Source #6
https://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com/2014/03/childrens-chanting-games.html
"Mar 8, 2014

Children's Chanting Games

I love the chanting games kids play. Some of them have been around for years, some are new. They are invented by children and some survive with minimal changes for generations; others get reworked and change rapidly.  Often snippets from one chant work their way into another.

The benefits of chanting games are hand-eye co-ordination and memory training, but most of all friendship bonding. It's interesting to me that they are mostly played among girls.

[…]

Counting games

These are the chants you use to count off among a group of friends to see who will be "it".  They're variations on Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Moe.

[…]

Mickey Mouse had a house

underneath the movies

when the movie started

Mickey Mouse farted

What colour was it?

[child landed on chooses a colour, then all spell out the colour to finish counting off]"

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Source #7
From https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/school-days/9039-playground-school-songs/page5
"glam_racket
16-07-2009
Re: Playground Songs!

For determining who's it. 

Rhyme sayer: Mickey Mouse had a house, what colour was it....

Child: RED

Rhyme sayer: R - E - D you are not it."
-snip-
Notice that this example is from the United Kingdom.

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Source #8
From https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/zdkwp7/what_phrases_did_you_use_as_a_child_to_choose_who/ Melbourne [Australia] What Phrases Did You Use As A Children's Way To Choose It
"honeybadger598, 2022

Mickey Mouse had a house, underneath the movies. When the movie started, Mickey Mouse farted. What colour was Mickey Mouse’s fart? G. R. E. E. N".

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Source #9
From 
https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/comments/1n4zql4/anyone_remember_this_clapping_game/
"barrybrinkza, 2025

Mickey mouse built a house, how many bricks did he use "

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Source #10
From https://ctac.esrc.unimelb.edu.au/biogs/E000391b.htm University of Melbourne [Australia] Blogs
"Elimination Game
Mickey Mouse

Functions

Counting Game, Elimination Game and Physical Play

Mickey Mouse is a counting game with a rhyme. It is normally played by girls and used to determine who will be it.

Details

At School 19

Players: 3

Girls

Age: 11
Counting on shoes

Mickey Mouse went to the movies:

Mickey Mouse went to the movies, when he got there mickey mouse farted, what colour was his gas, (blue),

Mickey Mouse went to the movies, when he got there mickey mouse farted, what colour was his gas, (pink),

Mickey Mouse went to the movies, when he got there mickey mouse farted, what colour was his gas, (black),

Mickey Mouse went to the movies, when he got there mickey mouse farted, what colour was his gas, (pink),

Mickey Mouse went to the movies, when he got there mickey mouse farted, what colour was his gas, (pink).

 

At School 05

Players: 3

Girls

Age: 9

 

Mickey Mouse had a house,

What colour was it?

(Response) Red. (any colour can be chosen)

R-E-D.

Person on whose foot the last letter lands is 'It'."

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Source #11
From http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml "In the 80s Rhymes"
"Mickey Mouse built a house and made it out of glass. Daffy Duck messed it up and made me kiss his a**" 
-snip-
This is the way this rhyme was written on that page except that all the words were given in upper case letters.

Notice that the name "Daffy Duck"* is used instead of "Donald Duck". My guess is that the person who contributed this example to that rhyme page either mixed up the names of the two cartoon ducks or the version of that rhyme that she or he learned had the name of the wrong duck.

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Source #12
From https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/school-days/9039-playground-school-songs/page5 United Kingdom Culture/School Days/Playground/School Songs

"glam_racket 

16-07-2009

Re: Playground Songs!

"For determining who's it.

Rhyme sayer: Mickey Mouse had a house, what colour was it....

Child: RED

Rhyme sayer: R - E - D you are not it."

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Comment Reprint From That 2025 Pancocojams Post:

Azizi PowellOctober 27, 2025 at 9:04 AM

The counting out rhyme that begins "Mickey Mouse had a house underneath the movies/ when the movie started Mickey Mouse farted"... [given as Source #6 of this pancocojams post" is very similar to the insult rhyme "Skinny Malinky". That rhyme may have originated in Scotland and versions of it are also found in England.

An example of that rhyme is "Skinny Malinky long legs Big banana feet Went to the pictures, couldnae find a seat When the picture started Skinny Malinky farted Skinny Malinky long legs Big banana feet"
-https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/194as6j/skinny_malinky_is_my_wife_winding_me_up/ Skinny Malinky - is my wife winding me up? by Typical_Ad_210, 2023

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The Saying "We're Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired" (with videos of Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer & Former President Barack Obama)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the saying "We're sick and tired of being sick and tired." 

This post showcases a YouTube video of 1960s Mississippi Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer who is widely credited as coining this saying.

This post also showcases a October 24, 2026 YouTube video of President Obama using this saying in the speech he gave in Cleveland, Ohio in support of Democratic candidates in the United States midterm election.   

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Fannie Lou Hamer and thanks to Barack Obama for their words and for their actions.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAYING "WE'RE SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED

Source #1

AI Overview

"Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer first used the phrase "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" during her speeches and activism in 1964.

Origin and Meaning

Who said it: Fannie Lou Hamer, a leader in the civil rights movement and co-founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

When: August and December 1964, most notably during her powerful addresses and a speech in Harlem alongside Malcolm X.

Context: Hamer used the phrase to describe the deep physical and emotional exhaustion caused by enduring generations of racial discrimination, police violence, poverty, and voter suppression in the Jim Crow South."

**
Source #2
From https://blackher.us/heres-to-you-fannie-lou-hamer-we-are-all-sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired/ “Here’s to You Fannie Lou Hamer. We are All Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired.”
by Angela Dorn | Mar 12, 2018 | Articles |
"Ever since I read about her in the 1990’s, I have been a fan of Fannie Lou Hamer. Until she joined the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, Fannie Lou Hamer was an ordinary black woman living a difficult life in rural Mississippi. Her birthright, as a poor, black, female Mississippian was an unfulfilling life of humiliation, pain and near indentured servitude as a sharecropper. Hamer fought all of this when she took up the mantle of activism.

According to FemBio,

“Fannie Lou Hamer was born on October 6, 1917, in rural Montgomery County Mississippi.  She was the twentieth child of Jim and Lou Ella Townsend. The family moved to Sunflower County when Fannie Lou was two years old, and she began working in the cotton fields at age six. Sharecroppers, her parents finally earned enough to rent land and buy mules and a car. However, the family was plunged back into poverty when a white neighbor poisoned the mules because he did not want to see the Townsend’s succeed. 

In 1944, the owner of the plantation on which the Townsend’s worked discovered that Fannie Lou could read and write, and employed her as the time and record keeper. A year later, she married a tractor driver on the plantation named Perry Hamer. The Hamers made their home in Ruleville, and Fannie Lou spent the next eighteen years as a sharecropper and plantation record keeper.

When the Civil Rights Movement came to Ruleville in 1962, Fannie Lou Hamer quickly became an active participant. With training and encouragement from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Hamer and several other local residents attempted to register to vote but were unsuccessful because they did not pass the infamous literacy tests. In retaliation for trying to register, Hamer was fired from her job, received phone threats, and was nearly a victim of gunshots fired into a friend’s home. But Hamer was not intimidated: by 1963 she was a field secretary for SNCC and after many efforts to do so successfully registered to vote.”

During the fight for the right to vote, while seeing slow (but steady) progress, Fannie Lou Hamer famously said that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”  It was a reference to her dismay at having to fight to the death for rights that were fundamental to Whites and other Americans but denied to Blacks.

Hamer was tired of battling to get more out of her life, which was structurally designed to block her from any real opportunity. It was clear that some Mississippians believed that Hamer and other Black people were born for the sole purpose of working for White field owners at low, low wages. Fannie could see that her life and the lives of her friends and family would not change until Blacks stood up and fought for themselves. Neither she nor any other Black person in Mississippi would be “handed anything” – not even basic human decency.

The tiring and brutal fight was ultimately successful. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act during the Johnson administration. 

I’m Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Today, I am older then Fannie Lou Hamer was when she took up the mantle of activism. Because of her and people like her, even though I am an African American woman, I have not (yet) had to demand my right to vote. Nor, have I experienced the violence of a police baton or the terror of racist shots being fired at me. For this, I am grateful.  As a Black woman, the fact that my life is not filled with violence is a historical anomaly. Still, there are many days when I wake up so sick and tired that I don’t want to get out of bed. I fear that the day ahead will be filled with nonsense – policies designed to divide us and practices that cause so much pain.

[…]

Fifty years after Fannie Lou Hamer fought for her humanity and ours, I too am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Maybe you are too.”
-snip-
This is how this article is presented online.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO - Fannie Lou Hamer "We are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired."



Paul Richards, Sep 12, 2018

During her 1964 campaign for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Fannie Lou Hamer addressed a rally saying "We are sick and  tired of being sick and tired." A clip from "Dream Deferred" by Harvey Richards (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GulApYI8MOk
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Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIZ2a2J5v3g for a 2011 film clip in which "Mississippi civil right leader Fannie Lou Hamer tells her story in 1963. A clip from the documentary film ""We'll Never Turn Back" by Harvey Richards.  

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YOUTUBE VIDEO - Obama Campaigns in Ohio

The National Desk, October 24, 2026

Former President Obama campaigns with Ohio's Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Amy Acton, in Cleveland, Ohio.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16OhFDAnjhQ
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This saying is found around 1:10 to around 1:15 in this video.
Here's that video's transcript of that portion of that speech:
"And when you have been campaigning as long as I have been campaigning, when you've worked as many elections as I have, you can tell when an election comes along that just feels a little bit different.

[cheering]

An election where people are so ready for something new, so hungry for something better, so sick and tired of being sick and tired that everywhere you go, it feels like change is in

[cheering]

the air. And in Ohio, that's how I'm feeling right now."

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INFORMATION ABOUT FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA'S USE OF THIS SAYING
AI Overview
"Former President Barack Obama used the phrase "sick and tired of being sick and tired" during campaign rallies ahead of the midterms to describe voters' frustrations with the current political climate.

Context of the Phrase 

• Recent Speeches: Obama used the line during campaign events in October 2026 (including stops in Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan) while stumping for Democratic candidates.

• Meaning: He applied the expression—originally made famous by civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer—to characterize an electorate he says is hungry for change and exhausted by political division and the policies of the Trump • administration.

• Historical Usage: Obama has periodically invoked variations of this phrasing throughout his political career, dating back to his 2008 presidential campaign and historical addresses like the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, to highlight public weariness with stagnant progress or perceived political dysfunction."

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