Freedom and Equity in Schooling and African-Americans

Freedom Schools Before Emancipation

• Freedom Schools during Enslavement: Enslaved individuals sought education in secret due to significant risks.

  • The Emancipation Oak symbolizes educational efforts leading to emancipation.

  • Historic Photo: An educational site for African Americans that reflects their struggles and triumphs in gaining literacy.

Legal Restrictions on Education

• Post-enslavement, several laws were enacted to prevent the education of enslaved people.

  • 1739: Following the Stono River slave revolt, legislation was passed making it illegal to teach enslaved individuals to write:

  • "And whereas the having of slaves taught to write, or suffering them to be employed in writing, may be attended with great inconveniences: Be it enacted, that all and every person or persons whatsoever, who shall hereafter teach, or shall use or employ any slave as a scribe in any manner of writing whatsoever, shall for each offense, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds current money."

  • 1831: In response to Nat Turner’s rebellion, Virginia Governor John Floyd targeted black preachers banning them from teaching reading in Sunday schools and subsequently banned black churches.

Freedom Schools During Reconstruction Era (1865-1876)

• Post-Civil War, African Americans experienced both opportunity and restriction in education.

  • Thirteenth Amendment: Established that slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, shall not exist within the U.S.

  • Freedmen's Bureau's Role: Aimed to rebuild the South without slavery at its core, promoting higher education and political power for African Americans.

Shifts in Education and Legislation

• After the Civil War, state constitutions began to reference education more clearly, moving towards universal public schooling during Reconstruction.

  • The term “Redemption” was utilized in 1877 as white southerners regained control, reinstating white supremacy laws and disenfranchising blacks, undermining the gains made during Reconstruction.

Prominent Figures in African-American Education

• Booker T. Washington (1856-1915):

  • Emphasized the disparity between Black and White Americans in terms of development and advocated that African Americans should accept their current status and work towards self-improvement:

  • "My friends, the white man is three thousand years ahead of us, and this fact we might as well face now as well as later, and at one stage of his development, either in Europe or America, he has gone through every stage of development that I now advocate for our race."

• W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963):

  • A more assertive advocate for civil rights, emphasizing individual agency in overcoming oppression:

  • "There is in this world no such force as the force of a person determined to rise. The human soul cannot be permanently chained."

Freedom Schools in the Mississippi Summer, 1964

• Established principles for the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Schools:

  • The school acts as an agent of social change.

  • Histories of students must be recognized and honored.

  • Curriculum should be relevant to student experiences.

  • Encourage open-ended questions within a dialogue-based learning environment.

  • Focus on developing academic skills is crucial for student empowerment.

Highlander Center in Tennessee

• A noteworthy location in the civil rights movement, which held significant workshops such as:

  • United Nations Workshop (Summer 1955):

  • Key participants in the desegregation workshop included Rosa Parks, Dr. F.D. Paterson, C.H. Harris, and Septima Clark.

  • Highlander's 25th Anniversary (1957):

  • Important figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Pete Seeger, Claris Horton, Rosa Parks, and Ralph Abernathy were involved in these activities.

Contemporary Freedom Schools

• Freedom School, Philadelphia (2013-present):

  • Continuing the legacy of Freedom Schools by engaging and educating African-American communities.