They were originally part of a nationwide effort during the Civil Rights Movement to organize African Americans to achieve social, political and economic equality in the United States.
"[2] In late 1963, Charles Cobb,[3] a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) activist, proposed the organization sponsor a network of Freedom Schools, inspired by examples of the concept used previously in other cities.
[9] The project was essentially a statewide voter registration campaign, and the framers called for one thousand volunteers to assist in the undertaking.
In December 1963, during planning for the upcoming Freedom Summer project, Charles Cobb proposed a network of "Freedom Schools" that would foster political participation among Mississippi elementary and high school students, in addition to offering academic courses and discussions.
Spelman College history professor Staughton Lynd was appointed Director of the Freedom School program.
The purpose was to try to end political displacement of African Americans by encouraging students to become active citizens and socially involved within the community.
The curriculum adopted was divided into seven core areas that analyzed the social, political, and economic context of precarious race relations and the Civil Rights Movement.
In rural communities where students were expected to work during the school day, classes were often held at night.
The student delegates discussed issues related to jobs, schools, foreign affairs, and public accommodations and proffered recommendations for the state party.
Students in Philadelphia, Mississippi, returned to school wearing SNCC "One Man, One Vote" buttons—for which they were expelled.
[18] This essay includes much of Churchville's thoughts on the state of the Black Power movement as well as his ideas for the pedagogy of his new Freedom School.
For him, the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement which called for total and complete revolution both here and everywhere on earth, was the most accurate and true to its principles.
They identified both intragroup and intraindividual issues facing black people in America and the only way to truly become a revolutionary was to be born-again; acted on by an outside power which began to rid you of these deficiencies.
After this, teachers must be found who can bridge the gap between identity and alienation, being object lessons for their students both inside and outside the classroom.
Finally, the curriculum was designed to explain the objective situation of black people and teach the tools and skills to deal with this reality.
The curriculum as described by Churchville was merely a vehicle for teaching revolutionary truth; the content was mostly irrelevant as it was the analysis which would demonstrate the reality.
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) operates a nationwide modern Freedom School program.
[19] In Michigan the Black Radical Congress in Detroit launched a campaign to create a model based on the Freedom Schools.
Philadelphia Freedom Schools is an independent community education initiative operating a modern version of the Mississippi curriculum with an emphasis on academic scholarship, social action and intergenerational leadership.