Freedom Schools with Tamanika Howze, Part 1

In My Skin

Today on the In My Skin Podcast, we have as our guest a beloved local hero here in Pittsburgh, Miss Tamanika Howze. On this episode, we explore the fundamental question of what it takes to reach, engage, affirm and teach black children primarily through the lens of Freedom Schools. The Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program originates in the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project of 1964, first developed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, otherwise known as SNCC. It brought college students from around the country to Mississippi to secure justice and voting rights for black citizens. These early Freedom schools aimed to keep black children and youth safe and give them rich educational experiences not offered in Mississippi's public schools. In a variety of makeshift settings, college student volunteers provided instruction in reading, writing, humanities, mathematics and science, along with subjects not taught in Mississippi public schools such as black history and constitutional rights.