Freedom Schools were developed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then chaired by the late Congressman John Lewis, during the 1964 Freedom Summer movement in Mississippi. That summer, nearly 40 freedom schools opened to counter the “sharecropper education” that most African American students were then offered. Today, Freedom Schools are organized in 32 states, under the auspices of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), in partnership with community-based organizations like schools, churches, and non-profits. Freedom Schools are typically six-week summer programs designed to strengthen students’ reading skills and prevent summer learning loss. Freedom Schools engage students (and their families) in a research-based, integrated multicultural curriculum that focuses on:

·       High-quality academic enrichment

·       Parent and family development

·       Civic engagement and social action

·       Intergenerational servant leadership development

·       Nutrition, health and mental health

Lessons consist of project-based learning activities and opportunities for civic engagement, conflict resolution, and social action skill development. Books feature heroes, heroines and settings that reflect students’ cultural images and history.

Students are encouraged to become critical thinkers and to take an active role in their communities. The program is offered at no cost to students.