:Vocalo.org

During the summer of 1964, thirty Freedom Schools were established in towns throughout Mississippi to address racial inequalities in the educational system. Mississippi’s black schools were poorly funded, and teachers had to use hand-me-down textbooks that offered a racist slant on American history. The Freedom Schools offered a rebuttal to this reality. Their curriculum included black history, the philosophy of the Civil Rights Movement, leadership development in addition to remedial instruction in reading and arithmetic. The Freedom Schools had hoped to draw at least 1000 students that first summer, and ended up with 3000.

The Civil Rights Movement is a well-documented example that demonstrates the importance of youth-led social change. The Chicago Freedom School builds on the original Freedom School model by seeking to enhance Chicago youth’s connection to their histories and serving as a catalyst for youth-led social change today.