Freedom is Taught Here: Freedom Schools and the Radical Tradition of Intergenerational Community Learning in Black Education

Authors

• Trayc D. Freeman, University of VirginiaFollow
• Wintre F. Johnson, University of Virginia - Main CampusFollow
• Tiffany D. Meadows, University of VirginiaFollow
• Christine Onyinyechi-Uju Emuka, University of VirginiaFollow
• Naila A. Smith, University of VirginiaFollow

Abstract

The Black American community has always understood the power of literacy and education, and the importance of Black self-sufficiency to attain these. The establishment of Freedom Schools during the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi is an actualization of that understanding. Since 1995, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) has carried on the work and legacy, with Freedom Schools still taking place all over the United States. For two summers, we, researchers from the University of Virginia, have had the opportunity to partner with a CDF Freedom School as part of a mixed-method research study. This essay serves as a reflection and discussion of our experiences within the Freedom School site and the ways the work of the school is connected to the original Freedom School’s mission as well as longstanding Black education traditions.

Author Biography

Dr. Trayc Freeman is a recent Ph.D. graduate at the University of Virginia's (UVA) School of Education and Human Development (EHD). Dr. Wintre Foxworth Johnson is an assistant professor at UVA EHD. Tiffany Meadows is a doctoral student in curriculum and instruction at UVA EHD. Christine Emuka is a doctoral student in applied developmental science at UVA EHD. Dr. Naila A. Smith is an assistant professor at UVA EHD.

Recommended Citation

Freeman, T. D., Johnson, W. F., Meadows, T. D., Emuka, C. O., & Smith, N. A. (2026). Freedom is taught here: Freedom schools and the radical tradition of intergenerational community learning in black education. Occasional Paper Series, (56), 28-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1613