Celebrating Freedom
Freedom Summer, also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, was a 1964 voter registration drive sponsored by civil rights organizations including the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Aimed at increasing black voter registration in Mississippi, the Freedom Summer workers included black Mississippians and hundreds of out-of-state, predominately white volunteers.
Though the SNCC agreed to recruit only one hundred white students for the project, a much larger number was ultimately recruited. Two one-week orientation sessions for the volunteers were held from June 14 to June 27 in Oxford, Ohio, on the campus of then-Western College for Women (now part of Miami University).
Freedom Summer Memorial
Tucked into one of the grassy hills composing Western Campus at Miami University there lies a magnificent stone monument commemorating the Freedom Summer of 1964.
Dedicated in 2000, it honors three civil rights workers — James Chaney, 21; Andrew Goodman, 20; and Michael Schwerner, 24 — who were murdered in Mississippi while registering black voters. The three were among 800 activists who trained on the then-Western College for Women campus in the summer of 1964 before heading south. At the memorial’s groundbreaking, Miami and NAACP officials said, "It’s important for young people to know the sacrifices of those who fought for a fairer, more just society." Three trees were planted near the memorial as living tributes to the young men.
Freedom Summer '64 Award
The Freedom Summer of ’64 Award was created to honor champions of civil rights and social justice. It is given in remembrance and recognition of the site at the Western College for Women (now part of Miami University), where 800 young Americans trained to register black voters in the south.
Did you know?
In Feb. 2018, Western College was declared a Freedom Station by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Truth and Reconciliation
Reconciling past injustices is a central ingredient to healing and progress in human relations and ultimately, the creation and maintenance of a civil society is built on justice. Find out more about how Miami is working to advance truth and reconciliation concerning race in America.
Take a Look Back at Freedom Summer
Understanding the Past, Building the Future: 50th Anniversary Conference
That fateful Freedom Summer of '64 became the catalyst for much progress and change in our nation. In 2014, Miami celebrated the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer with a University-wide, year-long event, "Celebrating Freedom: Understanding the Past, Building the Future." It provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made and the efforts yet to come in the United States and globally to ensure the freedom and dignity of all people. The Celebration focused on issues and topics such as civil rights, immigration, voting rights, women’s rights, gay rights, freedom of speech, human rights, and others—all related to the basic right of freedom.
The 50th Anniversary Freedom Summer Conference and Reunion was held October 11–14, 2014. Featuring several guest lecturers and panelists, scholars, students, and community members gathered to explore civil rights and celebrate Freedom Summer as a model for change and progress.
Faces of Freedom Summer: The Photographs of Herbert Randall
This milestone anniversary exhibition commemorating the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Project features over 100 photos printed from the original negatives taken by photojournalist Herbert Randall. Exhibition features also include the documents distributed to trainees and a documentary about the photographer.
When John Swann moved into Collins Hall in 1961, life changed drastically for the African-American freshman from West Virginia.
Featured in the Summer 2014 edition of Miamian, Swann reflects on his years as a colored-negro-black student on campus during the changing 1960s.