Mississippi Freedom Schools

This study researched the role of the Mississippi Freedom School Movement of the 1960s as a response strategy to the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. Fourteen individuals (5 participants who were students, 5 teachers, and 4 influential leaders) involved with the Mississippi Freedom Schools of the 1960s era provided the data for the study. Narrative analysis was used to capture the voices of this sample. They talked candidly about the organization, funding, the role of the churches and other prominent organizations, and the impact that the schools of the 60s could have on today's education system. The study found the selection of the state of Mississippi to implement the Freedom Schools was a deliberate strategy for the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. The participants of the study knew they were involved in something immensely larger than themselves. The comments from a highly respected Civil Rights Movement leader, along with those of a former worker with federal programs associated with Freedom Summer, also helped triangulate the data.