Freedom School, Yes!

Today we read a fictionalized account of events that took place during the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project.  During this time, Freedom Schools were set up as temporary, alternative free schools.  Part of Civil Rights efforts, they were meant to help African Americans achieve social, political, and economic equality.  More than 600 volunteers risked their lives to teach black children in the deep South "'bout people and places, 'bout who you are." 

In our story, Annie, a 19-year-old white teacher from up North, came to stay with Jolie and her family. When racist vandals throw a brick through Jolie’s bedroom window, she wishes the teacher would head home. Later arsonists burn down the church that had housed the Freedom School. Annie refuses to give up and holds the Freedom School under an old hickory tree.

 

Through Jolie's young eyes, we were able to glimpse the frightening violence of the 1960s South and sense the need for rejecting all inherited ideas that might cause us to value any one person over another.

Just as this school affords Jolie the opportunity to learn about Jacob Lawrence, Countee Cullen, and Benjamin Banneker, students in our class had the opportunity to read about these figures.  During M.I.L time, students also had the opportunity to read about the history of Freedom Schools in the South and to read about a “Freedom School” still operating right here in the Twin Cities.

 

In addition to talking about the historical/ social/ and political implications of this story, we followed our routine practice of charting out the story structure and discussing the author's unique language.  Here we explored

• ways the author build up suspense in the story.   
• how the author made us feel as Jolie was searching for Annie

We also situated the implications of our reading in the context of our specific class.  How are we similar to or different from the students in this story?

• How can we help each other in class?  We talked about what it means to be brave and how it's sometimes scary to stand up to those who are mean.  In the words of Jolie’s uncle: “You gonna learn ‘bout people and places ‘bout who you are.  Once you learn that, you ain’t gonna let bein’ scared get in your way.”
• We talked about how there were many brave whites in this story and throughout the South during the Civil Rights movement.  Color does not determine whether or not you will be prejudiced or whether or not you will be kind.  We each have the choice to determine whether we will love or whether we will treat others poorly, regardless of our color or other parts of our background.

After looking at some historical pictures of Freedom Schools we also listened to some of the original folk songs that were sung in this freedom movement:

http://www.folkways.si.edu/we-shall-overcome-songs-of-the-freedom-riders-and-the-sit-ins/african-american-music-american-history-historical-song-struggle-protest/album/smithsonian

                      “We Shall Overcome,” We Shall Not Be Moved,” “Oh Freedom.”

Other links:
http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs-campaigns/freedom-schools/
http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgfs.htm#imgschool

Student learning about this topic culminated in the following:  
Write: Remember all the background history you learned about Freedom Schools.  Use this and then use the characters and structure of this book to write newspaper articles explaining the events in this story as they occur.  Include interviews of some of the characters and other important background information.