Our History

In December 1963, organizers with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who worked in Mississippi to fight for Black liberation, organized an education program for young Black Mississippians to combat inequality. The Freedom Schools were spaces geared toward empowering young people “to articulate their desires, demands and questions” and to, “find alternative and ultimately new direction for action.” In Freedom Schools, Black Mississippians encouraged each other to think and act politically and to challenge oppressive systems.

Like the 1964 Freedom Schools, today’s Freedom Projects were born of the struggle for self-determination and educational justice. Started in 1998 in Sunflower, MS, the Freedom Projects have since grown to serve communities across the state in Rosedale, MS and Meridian, MS. Today, the Freedom Project Network (FPN) carries forward the spirit of the Freedom Schools by holding space for young people - Freedom Fellows - to share their personal and community struggles, to create healing for themselves and their communities, and to study, train, and act on solutions. Our mission is to build community and power alongside young Mississippians by providing holistic and liberatory education experiences. Fellows come to programming after school, on weekends, and over the summer to explore past and present movements, express themselves through the arts, and build organizing efforts to gain racial, educational, and social equity in their communities. 

Check out our program highlights to hear more about the initiatives our Fellows are leading across the state!