Edutopia - June/July 2008 - (Page 24)

Rigor and (Civil) Rights The Freedom Project uses the hard-fought history of racial equality to inspire power and perseverance. By Lisa Morehouse Photography by Katherine Emery D rive two and a half hours north of Jackson, Mississippi, past cotton, soy, and cat⇒sh farms, and you’ll ⇒nd a water tower announcing the tiny hamlet of Sun⇓ower. Located deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta—one of the nation’s most impoverished regions— this town of about 600 is isolated and nearly empty of commerce. But downtown, across from a trailer-sized, abandoned library, is a faded block of buildings that represent promise for the future of the town, if not the whole county. Parked in front of this former commercial strip is the ⇒rst hint of this unlikely potential: a spotless white van with the logo “Sun⇓ower County Freedom Project” emblazoned on its side. A basic description of the Sun⇓ower County Freedom Project is pretty straightforward: It resembles many acclaimed supplemental education programs across the country, combining best-practice instruction with extracurricular opportunities such as rigorous after-school academic enrichment, martial arts training, community service, and leadership development to students in grades 7–12. But in the landscape of the Mississippi Delta, where transportation, ⇒eld trip destinations, volunteers, guest speakers, and funding are in short supply, the Freedom Project is something very special. Using the county’s unique history as a hotbed of civil rights activity in the 1960s as an inspiration and program model, the Freedom Project attempts what to some may seem impossible: to raise Sun⇓ower County’s estimated 52.4 percent graduation rate and ensure that each of its participants goes to college—and succeeds there. The Seed of Freedom Stepping from the bleak street into the center that houses the Sun⇓ower County Freedom Project is like landing in Technicolor Oz from black-and-white rural Kansas. The walls are painted intense primary colors, and at eight o’clock on a summer morning, dozens of children ⇒ll the space, sporting tucked-in sunny orange T-shirts. Executive Director Greg McCoy isn’t there; he is on his daily rounds in the van, picking up Freedom Project students from around the county. Frankie Brown, a ninth grader with big brown eyes and a con⇒dent stance, steps into the void, shaking the hand of a visitor and conducting a prepared tour. He is well versed on the program’s main elements and history. The Freedom Project was founded by Chris Myers Asch and Shawn Raymond (among others), both Teach for America participants who came to Sun⇓ower County in the mid-1990s. They taught elementary school and high school, respectively, and were disheartened to see smart, curious sixth graders turn cynical and disengaged by the time they reached ninth grade. In the summer of 1998, Asch and Raymond held town meetings with parents and community members to discuss the possibility of starting a program founded on civil rights ideals that would inspire middle school students. Sun⇓ower County locals, like former teacher Mildred Downey, helped recruit students and design the program; Downey’s son Les, a farmer, gave the program its slogan: “Education is the seed of freedom.” With a modest tuition from students’ families, and small donations from friends and family members, the Freedom Project ran its ⇒rst summer school at Mississippi Delta Community College in 1999. Since then, the program has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from foundations and individuals and has evolved into a year-round program. It managed to buy the downtown buildings, now the hub of Freedom Project activity, always with the goal of expanding opportunities for Sun⇓ower County kids. Today’s Freedom Project was inspired by Freedom Schools, which were held throughout Mississippi in the summer of 1964. At that time, classes were held in homes and churches, and vol- 24 EDUTOPIA JUNE/JULY 2008

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Edutopia - June/July 2008 Contents UpFront Feedback Dispatches Sage Advice Ask Ellen Head of Class Cool Schools Design Young Minds, Fast Times Wii Love Learning No More Pencils, No More Books Tech Without Support All the Right Moves Room to Learn Heart & Soul Pop Quiz: Jeff Corwin

Edutopia - June/July 2008

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