Why We (Still) Need a Freedom School Pt. 2
George Floyd. Brianna Taylor. Eric Garner. Ahmaud Arbery. Names that have joined the ever growing list of black lives that ended prematurely, causalities of racism, police brutality and white privilege. Not only did we spend last summer attempting to make sense of this new pandemic landscape, but we were reconciling in real-time with these social issues.
“To contextualize the anger, frustration and desperation that forced protesters to recreate the lawlessness and chaos that black people experience on a daily basis, The Root has created a timeline of some of the events that led up to black people across the country collectively saying:
“Aight, den.””
One of our proudest accomplishments, in spite of 2020’s challenges, was passing the mic to the young people. We wanted to hear their perspectives on ‘life these days’. Not only did they offer their perspective on the impact of the Coronavirus, but were also able to articulate their feelings regarding the “fed-uprising” occurring around the country.
If it were up to us, we would’ve preferred to spend our summer in a different way.
We wanted to see the scholars that joined us for our inaugural summer.
We wanted to catch up with them and learn how their school year went.
We wanted Harambee to be louder than ever, and to remind each one of them that they possess ‘something inside so strong’.
Instead, we read books from afar, sent care packages and gardening kits, and joined the community in demonstrating unity and free listening. It was different, to say the least.
When we kicked off in 2019, we knew we weren’t the only organization in our locale that was passionate about serving young people. Our hopes were to join their efforts in providing resources that would enrich the lives of local youth and contribute to their experiences. At the same time, we knew that we weren’t duplicating their efforts because we were bringing something to the conversation that was missing.
We wanted to invite the students themselves to the conversation.
There is something powerful that happens when a person recognizes the power they possess in their voice. We see it all the time when we host our open mic sessions, or at our Signature Sessions. We’ve seen it over the summer at protests and demonstrations. We were captivated at now-President Biden’s inauguration, when Amanda Gorman graced the microphone.
This is our call.
Cheers and chants are fantastic, and provide an opportunity for community-fueled energy boost that starts the day off right. A curriculum that centers conversation may be the best thing any classroom has ever seen. Pockets of time that allow young people to read books that focus on writers and characters of diverse backgrounds are a definition of empowerment that we love.
But that’s still only a piece of the puzzle.
Not only are we emphatically excited about the notion of addressing summer learning loss and providing needed resources to families around our community. Not only do we continue to champion art forms like literature and poetry to increase social skills like conflict resolution and social awareness. We also exist to equip them to listen and speak.
LISTEN to those who sound and look nothing like you.
SPEAK, for yourself and for those who need it.
After an unceremonious end to the previous school year, and while enduring the strangest school year they’ve likely ever experienced, the traumatic impact of this past year will echo for years to come. We believe that our young people need a safe space to remember the power they possess. We believe that our young people need servant leadership that encourages them with hope, powered by the legacy of those who started the first Freedom School in 1964. We believe that, in the pages of a book, there lies opportunities for greatness.
Yes.
Yes, we still need a Freedom School in our community. Like the dozens of Freedom School sites around the country, we believe in the power and potential of our work. Now, more than ever.
Our plans continue to develop and we remain ever watchful, but we are committed to continuing this work of engaging, changing and saving lives and doing so with hope, education and action.