Freedom Project Network in the News
May 16, 2023
“HEALING THROUGH RESTORATION AND TRANSFORMATION”
“A community Freedom School model in Mississippi embraces transformative practices to strengthen relationships and disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, illustrating the power of communities to effect change.”
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March 13, 2022
“Mississippi Stories: Ki Harris” with Marshall Ramsey
“In this episode of Mississippi Stories, Mississippi Today Editor-at-Large sits down with Ki Harris, the Executive Director for the Freedom Project Network. Ki shares his life and passion for uplifting lives and proves he is not talking out of a book; he is talking out of his heart.”
March 9, 2022
“Liberation Through Education: Seeding Freedom in the Mississippi Delta”
“How Communities Work for Justice”
“Liberation education is premised on the idea ‘that you have the tools, knowledge, skills and resources to lead the life that you want to live,’ explained Ki Harris, Executive Director of the Freedom Project Network.”
July 31, 2020
“‘Ki’s the Guy’: Freedom Project Network Director Elevates Students’ Voices”
“In his newly appointed role as executive director of the Freedom Project Network, Harris said he intends to “elevate the voices of students so they can lead the change they deserve to see in their communities.” The spirit of youth empowerment that encapsulates the Freedom Project Network comes from the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project voter registration initiative. . . .”
July 30, 2020
“Freedom Project Network announces KI Harris as Executive director”
“A former teacher and football coach in Greenwood, MS, Harris served as the Director of College Access and Experiential Learning at the Network’s oldest program, the Sunflower County Freedom Project from 2016 to 2018. . . .”
july 2, 2020
“‘It Makes US FEEL HUMAN’: LGBTQ Fund fights for A MISSISSIPPI WITHOUT ALIENATION”
“For Alexandria Smith and Anthony Boynton, teaching their “Black Art and Gender Politics” class for the Freedom Summer Collegiate is personal. Smith, a PhD candidate in the Rutger’s Women and Gender Studies program and a second-year FSC instructor, said the class will provide students with an LGBTQ vernacular she wishes she had during her youth. . . .”
June 22, 2020
“Flag change seen as boost in pride Mississippi youngsters have for state”
“The hope is that Mississippi’s youngsters soon may soon be free of an obligation to honor a symbol that represents a Southern rebellion to keep African Americans enslaved, said Onyshko, director of the Sunflower County Freedom Project after-school initiative. ‘Our students recognize the Confederate emblem on that flag and recognize the painful symbols of that flag. Because of that, they are not fully welcomed and accepted into society,” said Onyshko, whose 22-year-old organization grew out of the Mississippi civil rights protests and Freedom Riders campaign of nearly 60 years ago. . . .”
June 19, 2020
“Meridian Freedom Project takes to the road to celebrate juneteenth”
“With Juneteenth activities canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff from the Meridian Freedom Project recognized the day by reconnecting with their students. Staff drove to the homes of 36 Meridian Freedom Project Fellows Friday morning delivering goodie bags and sharing information about the holiday . . .”
Feb. 8, 2020
“Freedom project: play highlights civil rights perspective of black women”
“Five young people with the Sunflower County Freedom Project put on a play on Saturday afternoon at the Meridian Arts + Entertainment Experience to highlight the perspectives of black female activists. . . .”
Dec. 9, 2019
“Adrian cross looks to the future as new executive director of the meridian freedom project”
“Growing up in Meridian, Adrian Cross thought she might become a veterinarian or a nurse. She never thought that volunteering would lead her to being in charge of a youth empowerment organization . . .”
July 3, 2019
“A Fun and enlightening summer at the meridian freedom project”
“I get to be with teachers who I really love and with people who are like true friends, good people,’ Amaya said with a big grin. Amaya is one of many Freedom Fellows spending their summer at the Meridian Freedom Project, an organization that aims to develop future leaders . . .”
Feb. 20, 2019
“Teacher shortages force districts to use online education programs”
“On most afternoons, Jeremiah Smith, founder of an after-school and summer program called the Rosedale Freedom Project, can be found sitting side-by-side with his students as they peer at laptops, trying to get through their assignments. Posters with uplifting quotes by Henry David Thoreau, Maya Angelou and Mahatma Gandhi decorate the room . . . “
Dec. 13, 2018
“Rosedale freedom project photo gallery”
Mississippi Today photojournalist and Report for America corps member Eric Shelton shares a gallery of images from the Rosedale Freedom Project.
Oct. 15, 2017
“black males hold the keys to success in mississippi”
“Jeremiah Smith, a former teacher who runs the Rosedale Freedom Project in Bolivar County, said schools should adopt what are known as restorative practices over zero-tolerance school discipline policies. For example, if two kids get into fight at school, restorative practices would involve mediation with peers and support staff instead of calling the police and automatic suspension, he said. . . .”
june 22, 2017
“Summer program aids high school students and graduate educators”
“‘I think at this moment in history, it’s very inspiring to be in a place where the civil rights movement happened and to see that history of social organizing still vibrant today and kids are integrating their education with the civil rights movement, that legacy and history, and the principles of that movement,’ said Rachel Greenspan, a graduate student at Duke University who is one of the teachers this summer. . . .”
April 12, 2017
“What Mississippi taught bobby kennedy about poverty”
“This same spirit animates programs like the Sunflower County Freedom Project, a nonprofit begun in 1998 by Teach for America alumni. The families of the seventh through 12th graders who participate help shape programming and keep students on track. Students tell the stories of their Delta through art, drama, poetry and song. They learn to tend a garden and work for justice in their communities. Graduates are now enrolled in colleges across the country . . .”
Nov. 11, 2015
“When schools feel like jail”
“Jarquez, a student in nearby Sunflower County, says that in middle school, he was repeatedly patted down and told to open his backpack; now that he’s a sophomore at Gentry High School, in the town of Indianola, Jarquez is regularly required to walk through a metal detector. . . .”