Remembering the Freedom Summer of 1964 to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes Again

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Black Educational Strivings: Boyhood, Resistance, and Living History

Abstract

The anti-critical race theory movement has led educators to fear implementing programs that benefit students from racial minority groups. This movement has led to new laws that prevent educators from offering programs with content on racial inequality. However, suppressing educational practices that promote equity is not a new trend. In the 1960s, the Freedom Summer Curriculum led to hostile treatment targeted at people who supported this project. Although supporters of this project were treated with hostility, the use of this curriculum led to favorable outcomes. In this paper, I describe what the Freedom Summer Curriculum covered, and I argue that many programs are being eliminated today for the same reasons attempts were made to stop the Freedom Summer Project.

Author

• Hani Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi