Freedom Summer 2024
This summer the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. Center for Racial Justice at Simmons College of Kentucky will be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom Summer, a 1964 voter registration drive aimed at increasing the number of registered Black voters in Mississippi. The campaign was led by Black American organizers including Bob Moses, Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Gray Adams, Aaron Henry and more.
Over 1,000 mostly white volunteers joined Black Americans in Mississippi to fight against voter intimidation and discrimination at the polls. The 2024 LOUISVILLE FREEDOM SUMMER is promoting political education, voter registration, and mass organization.
How can people get involved with the 2024 LOUISVILLE FREEDOM SUMMER?
There are three ways to get involved this summer.
POLITICAL EDUCATION
The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. Center for Racial Justice at Simmons College of Kentucky is offering free political education classes in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom Summer. In each class, students will learn about political systems, who is trying to improve them, and how to get involved. All classes will be taught by Jecorey Arthur, a professor of music, sociology, and activism at Simmons College of Kentucky and Councilman for Louisville Metro Council District 4. He will be joined by special guests with experience in organizing, government, and more. Each class will be hosted in-person on Tuesday evenings June 18 - August 20 at various community centers and online via Zoom.
Please save your seat by registering below.
VOTER REGISTRATION
Are you registered to vote? Do you know people who need to register? Do you want to help register voters? Like organizers 60 years ago, the 2024 LOUISVILLE FREEDOM SUMMER will focus on registering voters.
Simmons College of Kentucky is partnering with the Kentucky Civic Engagement Table (KCET) to recruit volunteers to get Kentuckians registered to vote and informed about current issues. KCET works with the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, the Louisville Urban League, Vocal Kentucky, and others to ensure Kentuckians are civically engaged.
To get involved, sign up to volunteer with a voter registration partner below.
MASS ORGANIZATION
Another way Louisvillians can get involved this summer is by volunteering with local organizations. Simmons College of Kentucky is partnering with Metro United Way, local churches, and colleges, to recruit volunteers.
From food justice, to youth mentoring, to violence prevention, there are plenty of organizations working every day to make Louisville better, but they need your help. To get involved, sign up through the volunteer portal below.
If you have an organization in need of volunteers, please click the button below.
Images from Freedom School sessions
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