Our History

In December 1963, SNCC organizers with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, who were working in Mississippi to fight for Black liberation from white supremacy and economic exploitation, proposed an education program for young Black Mississippians who faced educational inequality. The Freedom Schools were spaces geared toward empowering young people “to articulate their own desires, demands, and questions” and “to find alternative and ultimately new direction for action.” For many Black Mississippians, the Freedom Schools were the first time they had been encouraged to think and act politically, and to explore their creative impulses. These Freedom Schools went on to inspire liberatory educational projects across the world.

Today, we are committed to carrying forward the spirit of the Freedom Schools by holding space for young people - Freedom Fellows - to participate in education as the practice of freedom. These Fellows come to programming after school, on weekends, and over the summer. Participation in the space is completely voluntary, and there are no requirements for admission.

Fellows come to the Freedom Project to build community with other youth, elders, staff, artists, and organizers in order to explore, develop, and act on their desires, demands, and questions. These young people and adult allies propose topics for intellectual pursuit, artistic projects, emotional engagements, community-building activities, social change projects, and trips that clarify and actualize their visions for our community. 

Freedom Project staff then work with this community of young people and adults to develop program offerings (clubs, classes, and trips), special events (celebrations, community gatherings, and showcases), and organizing projects (voter registration activities, canvasses, and community fora). 

Staff and volunteers at the Freedom Projects bring resources, tools, and training to the community; work with the community to develop and uphold principles that guide the project’s development; and organize the community to transform oppressive systems that threaten the material and emotional safety, agency, and freedom of young people and their families. 

The Freedom Project is a hub through which Fellows connect with artists, scholars, and organizers; explore opportunities to study, create, and travel; and build community with peers and elders to organize and struggle for change.

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