Launched in 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Schools were designed to counteract segregationist policies that inhibited opportunities for black youth. Providing quality, progressive education, they prepared African American students to fight on all fronts for freedom.
These and similar schools were critical to expanding the gains of the Civil Rights Movement. Forming an intimate network, they taught students how, when, and where to engage politically, shaping activists who trained others to contest inequality. Conducting dozens of interviews and consulting rich archival materials, Jon N. Hale weaves a social history of the Mississippi Freedom Schools from the perspective of former students and teachers. Having turned their training into decades of activism, these individuals speak invaluably on the ideologies that informed their practice and the effectiveness of their locally organized, widely transmitted curriculum. They also offer key strategies for further integrating the American school system and politically engaging today’s youth.
These and similar schools were critical to expanding the gains of the Civil Rights Movement. Forming an intimate network, they taught students how, when, and where to engage politically, shaping activists who trained others to contest inequality. Conducting dozens of interviews and consulting rich archival materials, Jon N. Hale weaves a social history of the Mississippi Freedom Schools from the perspective of former students and teachers. Having turned their training into decades of activism, these individuals speak invaluably on the ideologies that informed their practice and the effectiveness of their locally organized, widely transmitted curriculum. They also offer key strategies for further integrating the American school system and politically engaging today’s youth.
