Freedom School honors MLK

The Pullman community came together Saturday morning to discuss concerns of diversity for the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom School program.

Upon entering the Talmadge Anderson Heritage House (TAHH), guests were greeted and directed to a breakfast table and encouraged to settle into the neighboring room filled with brightly colored art, all donated to this African-American culture and heritage house.

The Freedom School event was re-scheduled after poor weather prevented it from happening in January. 

Barbara Ward, assistant professor of literacy at WSU, said people of all ages attended the three hour program to learn as a community how far the U.S. has come on the journey for social justice. However, she said there is still a lot of work to be done.

Laura Appel, culture and heritage houses coordinator for the diversity education program, agreed with Ward that the journey for social justice is still long.

“There is still discrimination in the world,” she said. “These types of events ... give us ways to work through it so that it’s not causing the same problems as it’s caused us in the past.” 

The Freedom School program, which originally started in 1964 in Mississippi, was used to help teach African-Americans how to pass voting tests that made it nearly impossible for African-Americans to vote. 

Today, the Freedom School is a six-week program across the nation for children of every background. This year the event was resurrected because parents whose older children attended Freedom School in the past wanted their youngsters to learn about King and the civil rights movement, said Felicia Gaskins, vice president of the Office of Equity and Diversity.

The day was split into two groups of adults and children of all ages. While the adults stayed in the TAHH to watch “Mighty Times: The Children’s March” the children scurried to the Native American Cultural House to learn songs and key ideas about King’s ideas on freedom, equality and opportunity.

The cultural houses are fairly new to WSU. What used to be faculty houses are now resources for anyone looking for a unique book to read or a building available for event reservation. The buildings are open to the public and the anyone interested is encouraged to use them, Gaskins said.

A discussion followed the documentary. Members of the audience, many of which were Pullman residents, brought up points such as making sure elementary school children have role models to look up to. The children also performed the songs they learned, as well as a short skit imitating Rosa Parks’ protest on the bus.

Gaskins said events like these are important because racism and prejudice are not dead. She said it is important to understand U.S. history in order to build a positive future.

Appel said after a three-year break from Freedom School, the WSU diversity education program decided to bring it back because of issues plaguing the world in the recent past.

Ward said she was thrilled with Saturday’s turnout.

“I was just so excited to see so many people ... from different parts of the state and also the wonderful age levels,” she said. “I felt like I found a home (in this group).”

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Freedom School honors MLK