The Freedom Schools: Student Activists in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement

by Jon N. Hale

Created in 1964 as part of the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the Mississippi Freedom Schools were launched by educators and activists to provide an alternative education for African American students that would facilitate student activism and participatory democracy. The schools, as Jon N. Hale demonstrates, had a crucial role in the civil rights movement and a major impact on the development of progressive education throughout the nation. Designed and run by African American and white educators and activists, the Freedom Schools counteracted segregationist policies that inhibited opportunities for black youth. Providing high-quality, progressive education that addressed issues of social justice, the schools prepared African American students to fight for freedom on all fronts. Forming a political network, the Freedom Schools taught students how, when, and where to engage politically, shaping activists who trained others to challenge inequality.

Based on dozens of first-time interviews with former Freedom School students and teachers and on rich archival materials, this remarkable social history of the Mississippi Freedom Schools is told from the perspective of those frequently left out of civil rights narratives that focus on national leadership or college protestors. Hale reveals the role that school-age students played in the civil rights movement and the crucial contribution made by grassroots activists on the local level. He also examines the challenges confronted by Freedom School activists and teachers, such as intimidation by racist Mississippians and race relations between blacks and whites within the schools. In tracing the stories of Freedom School students into adulthood, this book reveals the ways in which these individuals turned training into decades of activism. Former students and teachers speak eloquently about the principles that informed their practice and the influence that the Freedom School curriculum has had on education. They also offer key strategies for further integrating the American school system and politically engaging today's youth.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Hardcover

Published June 7, 2016

Reviews

[nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides excellent historical context for and explanation of the influential (but often overlooked) Mississippi Freedom Schools from the summer of 1964. Recommend for anyone interested in Critical Pedagogy, public schools, and civil rights.

[Nat Suri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone passionate about community service! It inspired me to rethink what I believe education should be. It should be about empowering students to be who they choose, understanding challenges, and working to serve the community and come up with solutions. As freedom school students did, students today should be encouraged to organize for a more equitable society. Public service and education are complementary and public service should be emphasized far more in educational settings.

[Hannah]

Work: Theory Curriculum

[DV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and made me rethink a lot of my current work.