Freedom Project Network 2022 Annual Report

DearFreedomProjectNetworkFamily,

As I reflect on our year at the Freedom Project Network, I’m proud of all that we accomplished, and I’m excited to present this Annual Report to you as evidence oftheimpactofyourcontinuedsupport

We finalized our 5-year strategic plan this year, and we got to work on the plan’s year-one strategic priorities One of the most immediate priorities was to clarify ourmission,ourlong-termvision,andourroleasabackboneorganizationtothe Freedom Projects Through that process, we improved lines of communication withtheFreedomProjects,andwebuiltsystemsformutualaccountability

We strengthened existing partnerships this year, and we also developed exciting new ones Our longeststandingfoundationpartner,thePhilHardinFoundation,awardedusa3-year,$550,000granttohelpsustain programming and operations across the Network, representing the largest grant that we have ever received We developed a partnership with Writers and Artists Across the Country that enabled Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give, to visit with Freedom Fellows from all three Freedom Projects We also, in partnership with Grove Atlantic, were able to have Albert Woodfox, author of Solitary and one of the ‘Angola Three,’ visit withFellowsacrosstheNetwork.

One of the most exciting projects we worked on this year was our data and measurement infrastructure initiative In partnership with the American Council for Learned Societies, we hosted a postdoctoral fellow, Dr Jesse Chanin, who spent the past year working with us to develop new systems for tracking and reporting FreedomFellowandstaffdata ThankstoJesse’swork,wearenowbetterpositionedtotellourstoryofimpact overtimeandtomakedata-informeddecisionsabouttheprogrammingofferedattheFreedomProjects

ProgrammatichighlightsfromthisyearincludeFreedomSummerCollegiate’sreturntoin-personcoursesfor the first time since 2019 and the largest group of college graduates to-date from our Alumni College Success Program The Freedom Projects spent the year reimagining the structure of programming to better meet Fellows’ evolving interests and needs I’m excited for you to learn more about this year ’ s programming in the pagesthatfollow

Lookingaheadto2023,wewillcontinueworkingtoputourstrategicplanintoaction,whichwillrequireusto build more organizational infrastructure, long-term financial stability, and to develop our staff and board Ultimately, everything we do is to support the work happening on the ground at the Freedom Projects and to provide the resources and support that they need to continue delivering transformative educational experiencestoyoungpeopleacrossMississippi.

Yourcontinuedsupporthelpsmakethatworkpossible–soonbehalfoftheentireFreedomProjectNetwork,I would like to express our deepest gratitude I hope you find the work featured throughout this report inspiring

Greetings From Our Executive Director Inpartnership,

KiHarris

Strategic Planning

When the Freedom Project Network was founded in 2016, we immediately started working to provide financial, administrative, and programmatic support to the Freedom Projects. And while we did see some success in our first five years of operation, we found ourselves constantly struggling to answer some key questionsaboutthestructureofourorganization:

Since the Freedom Projects were founded independently of each other, how will they need to evolve in ordertooperatecollectively?

WhichadministrativefunctionsshouldbecentralizedandwhichshouldremainuniquetoeachFreedom Project?

How can the Network build its own fundraising and administrative capacity while also providing direct fundraisingandadministrativesupporttotheFreedomProjects?

If the Freedom Project Network assumes a greater share of fundraising and administrative duties for the FreedomProjects,whatwillmutualaccountabilitylooklike?

Infallof2021,wedecidedthatinvestinginaformalstrategicplanningprocesswasanappropriatestepforour organizationtobeginaddressingthequestionsaboveandtodetermineourfuturedirection.Weareextremely grateful for the organizational development consultant, Ms. Dorothy Booker, who worked with us (and stakeholders from all three Freedom Projects) over a six-month period to develop a five-year strategy. Six organizationalprioritiesemergedfromtheprocessthatwillsetourdirectionfor2022-2027:

ProgramEfficacy&Scale

Maintaindeliveryofhighquality,innovative,and pedagogicallysound programmingthatgenerates successful,quantifiableresults.

Long-TermFinancialStability

PositiontheNetworktosustain existingprogramsandto expandthereachandinfluence oftheFreedomProjects.

CollectiveImpact

Strengthencollaborationand partnershipbetweenthe NetworkandtheFreedom Projectstodevelopacohesive vision,agenda,andstrategy.

InfrastructureDevelopment

Buildthefundraising, administrative,and programmaticcapacityofthe FreedomProjectNetworkto ensureoperationalefficiency, legalandfiscalcompliance,and optimalprogramdelivery.

BackboneGovernance

AligntheNetwork’sgovernance andleadershipstructurewitha backboneorganizationmodel.

Marketing&Communications

Executeacomprehensive marketingandcommunications planthatstrategicallyengages existingandpotentialpartners.

We don’t have it all figured out yet, but this strategic plan is a blueprint that will help us build on existing momentum in a focused, efficient manner to expand our capacity over time and to sustain and scale the impact that the Freedom Projects have in communities across Mississippi As we continue this journey, we inviteyourparticipationandsupport Viewthefullstrategicplanonourwebsiteat:

www.freedomprojectnetwork.org/strategic-plan

Data & Measurement Infrastructure

By Jesse Chanin, PhD

Thanks to a generous fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS),IhadtheopportunitytoworkwiththeFreedomProjectNetworkoverthe pastyeartodevelopsystemstocaptureandtrackdata.Weworkedonthreemain projectsto strengthenourdataandmeasurementinfrastructure:L.E.A.D.surveys to measure Fellows’ experience at the Freedom Projects, math and literacy assessments as a quantitative tool to measure Fellows’ academic progress, and a SalesforcedatabasetocreateacentralrepositoryforallFellowandstaffdata.

The L.E.A.D. Survey asks current and past Fellows how the Freedom Project has influenced them academically,socially,andpersonally TheFreedomProjectsadministeredaversionofthissurveyinthepast, but I convened staff from each Freedom Project to make thoughtful revisions to the old version and to align onanannualcadenceforadministeringthesurvey Wesurveyed43FellowsacrossallthreeFreedomProjects this year, and the results were overwhelmingly positive For example, 84% of Fellows said that the Freedom Projecthadtaughtthemusefulself-disciplinetechniques,and91%ofFellowssaidtheywouldrecommendthe FreedomProjecttoafamilymemberorfriend

We started implementing the GMADE and GRADE diagnostic assessments (produced by Pearson) as a streamlined math and literacy assessment for Fellows at all three Freedom Projects Fellows at Meridian and Sunflower County completed the assessments at the beginning of Freedom Summer (unfortunately, we need an update to technology at Rosedale to make laptops compatible with the exams) We only administered one round of diagnostic assessments this year, but we saw early evidence of how the results can help staff at the FreedomProjectstargetspecificskillgapsanddifferentiatebasedonFellows'individualneeds

We partnered with Salesforce to build a database that now contains historical and current data on Fellows and staff from all three Freedom Projects. The database includes: up-to-date contact information, demographic data, attendance records, courses taken, test scores, college GPA, and even trips that Fellows have attended. Staff at the Freedom Projects can communicate with each other about specific Fellows and they can message Fellows and parents/guardians, all directly from the database We are excited about the waysthatthisnewdatabasewillhelpusmaintainaccuraterecordsofFellowsandtheirprogressovertime

Overall, this fellowship demonstrated the role that data can play in helping us better understand and share the incredible impact of Freedom Project programming, both in terms of academic outcomes and socialemotional growth. Though my time with the Freedom Project Network is ending, I'm excited to see how the teamcontinuestobuildonthesystemswebuilttogetherthisyear!

Our Year at the RFP

During the pandemic, the local school district consolidated our schools with the schools in a neighboring town When young people returned to the now-consolidated schools, bringing the trauma of the pandemic and a year of physical isolation, conflict and violence became the norm Instead of making counselors available and creating space for young people to process their emotions, the school district brought in police officers and metal detectors, creating a prison-like environment Freedom Fellows and their families refused to accept these conditions, so our focus this year at the RFP was on analyzing, critiquing, and transforming conditionsinourlocalschools

WeconvenedhealingcircleswithFellowsandtheirfamiliestotalkabouttheirexperienceswithviolenceand harassment at school We met with the superintendent to express our concerns and to demand counseling andrestorativejusticeinourschools

Freedom Fellows worked with the Freedom Project Network’s postdoctoral fellow to develop a research survey for students in the community with questions organized around five focus areas: Safety, Privacy, Respect,Learning,andResources FellowsanalyzedthedataduringFreedomSummerandtheypresentedthe datatocommunitymembersatourSummerShowcase Someofthemosttroublingresultswere:

A majority of students do not feel safe at school, and the schoolresourceofficerdoesnotmakethemfeelsafe.

A majority of students compared their experience at schooltobeinginprison

Amajorityofstudentsdidnotfeelthattheylearnedfrom what they were taught in school, although they felt that theworkwaschallenging

Almost every single student surveyed strongly disagreed withthestatement,“Ilikethefoodatmyschool”

Our struggle for educational justice has continued this fall, as a newly-appointed Superintendent released plans to close our community’s school and move our young people to another school in a nearby town Over 100 students, parents, grandparents, and community members came together with the RFP to found Save Our Schools, a community group committedtofightingagainsttheclosureofourlocalschools Save Our Schools has held weekly strategy meetings and has organizedregularprotestsoutsideoftheschool

InadditiontoourworkwithSaveOurSchools,ourFellows,families,andstaffhavereceivedhoursoftraining in restorative and transformative justice practices Our staff and Fellows have also studied the practice of organizing with the Highlander Center, Labor Notes, and the Right to the City Alliance We know that it will take years to win the education that our children deserve And we know that winning it will require us to transform the conditions and context of education in our town But together, we will realize educational justiceinRosedale

Community Organizing

Thisyear,FellowshavestudiedthelaborstrikesatKellogg and John Deere, community movements like Ceasefire Baltimore, and organizers like Chris Smalls at the Amazon Labor Union They attended the Highlander Center’s Homecoming celebration to learn about organizing projects around immigrant and gender justice, and they also convened Fellows from Sunflower County to study restorativeandtransformativejusticemodels

Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative

In coordination with the University of Georgia and the United Nations, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns PlasticPollutionInitiativeworkedwithFreedomFellows to study plastic pollution in Rosedale. Fellows were trained on data collection, and logged (and disposed of) thousands of pieces of plastic debris A small group of Fellows were also awarded a grant from the National Geographic Society to document this process and speak to experts about the environmental and human impacts ofplasticproductionandwaste

Love Shoutout

From starting a Discord server with her peers to promote safe spaces, to designing our Gender Sexuality Alliance posters, Ms Usry (9th grade Fellow) has gone above and beyond to build inclusive and loving spaces at the RFP Ms Usry welcomed new Fellows to the program, diffused conflict, and encouraged care and compassion everywhereshewent.

Action Shoutout

In addition to starting our Gender Sexuality Alliance, Ms. J'Adore (10th grade Fellow) has won statewide awards for her poetry, starred in the short film The Anniversary, and helped to orient incoming Freedom Summer Collegiate professors. This year, Ms. J'Adore served as our first Freedom Summer volunteer, assisting with classesandreadinginterventions.

Education Shoutout

Whether researching new camera techniques or studying the history of colonialism in the Philippines, Mr Sifuentes (9th grade Fellow) can always be found learning something new This year, Mr Sifuentes participated in communityand self-defense classes with the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity, and he also launched a freelance filmmaking and photographybusiness.

Discipline Shoutout

Ms Sifuentes (recently graduated Fellow) secured a full scholarship to the University of Mississippi while also engaging in a youth organizing internship with the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity. This summer, she balanced working as a Coordinator for Freedom Summer Collegiate and serving as the Producer forourNationalGeographicdocumentary.

Our Year at the MFP

As we continue to adjust in response to the challenges presented and exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, ourthemefortheyearattheMFPwas“Hope,Healing,andHavingFun”

As a community, we developed our own definition of hope: it’s more than wishful thinking; it’s working to become the change that we want to see in ourselves and our communities, and remaining confident that our work towards that change is not in vain, even when we don’t see immediate results This year, we identified initiativestolimitviolenceandpromotehealthaswaysthatwecouldinspirehopeinourcommunity Tothat end, we hosted a community-wide Stop The Violence Basketball Tournament and a Community Health Carnival;wewereextremelyproudofthewaythatourFellowshelpplanandfacilitatetheseevents.

Our approach to healing was to create a safe space for our Fellows to engage thoughtfully with their emotions WeimplementeddailyjournalingsessionswhereFellows were asked to write freely in response to prompts spanning a variety of topics like coming of age, personal goals and aspirations, and the true meaning of freedom Over Spring Break, Fellows attended a four-day health and wellness retreat at Pine Lake Camp During the retreat, Fellows participated in daily yoga and meditationsessions;theycompletedalowropesobstacle course;andtheyspenttimeboatingonthelake.

Fellows choose to spend their time with us, so we want them to enjoy all of our programming Fellows report, however, that they have the most fun during our educational travel, so we were excited to take Fellows on a variety of trips this year The most popular trip from thisyearwasourtripto Mobile,Alabama,whereFellows visited historic Africatown Another favorite was our college immersion week on the campus of Jackson State University, where Fellows lived in dorms and took college-style classes; while in Jackson, Fellows also toured the home of Medgar Evers and the historic CouncilofFederatedOrganizations(COFO)Center.

We made a few noteworthy transitions this year We said farewell to our Executive Director for the past 3 years, Adrian Cross We are grateful for all that she did for our Fellows and community during her tenure Terrence Roberts, a longtime program director at the MFP, has assumed Adrian’s duties in the interim We alsorelocatedtheLEADCentertothecampusofMeridianCommunityCollegethisyear Thecampusprovides access to modern classroom technology, and having daily programming in a college environment further fosters the college-going culture that we are working to build with Fellows Huge shoutout to president of Meridian Community College and MFP Board member, Dr Tom Hubner, for helping to coordinate our move andwelcomingustocampusasanin-kinddonation

African Drumming Club

The first percussion instruments were invented by the Mandinka people of western Africa around 1300 AD In our African Drumming Club, Fellows explored the rich historyandcultureofAfricandrummingandtheylearned traditional rhythms for celebration and announcement This club has quickly become one of the most popular at the MFP, and staff has seen how participation in this club creates a stronger sense of community among Fellows, reducesstress,andimprovescommunicationskills.

Community Engagement

We hosted several events to engage the local community this year At our Community Health Carnival, local healthrelated organizations set up booths to promote their work Weofferedhealthyfoodoptions,bloodpressurescreenings, covid vaccinations, and a live Zumba class for attendees Our Stop The Violence Basketball Tournament was a fun way to convene community members Teams competed for prizes, and once the tournament was finished, our Fellows facilitated a community forum to discuss productive ways thatwecanaddresstheuptickinviolenceinMeridian

Love Shoutout

Ms Fikes (9th grade Fellow) has a heart as big as thestateofMississippi Shegoesoutofherwayto make sure that other Fellows feel welcomed and included at the LEAD Center. During our daily Community Circles, Ms. Fikes almost always has thoughtfulwordsofaffirmationforotherFellows.

Action Shoutout

When a discussion topic is posed and Fellows are reluctant to speak up, Mr. Kennedy (10th grade Fellow) is the one who will break the ice. If a Fellow or staff member needs help with something,heisalwaysquicktolendahand.And when we are looking for Fellows to help with communityprojects, we can always count on Mr. Kennedytovolunteer.

Education Shoutout

Duringstudysessiontime,Mr Goines(11thgrade Fellow)frequentlyasksstaffmemberstogivehim feedback on school assignments and tips for the best way to approach his teachers when he needs additional support at school. While participating in an unfamiliar activity, Mr. Goines always approachesitwithanopenmind.

Discipline Shoutout

As a student-athlete, Mr Portis (12th grade Fellow) juggles many competing priorities. He maintains great grades and is one of the top players on the Meridian High School Basketball Team.Everydayafterpractice,Mr.Portisdrivesto the LEAD Center to participate in programming and makes an effort to catch up on anything that hemisses.

Our Year at the SCFP

Over the past two pandemic years, we faced many unique challenges, but we also learned a lot. This year, we focused on implementing some of the things that we ' ve learned. Community relationships have always been thefoundationofourwork,butthepandemicremindedusoftheimportanceofastrongvillageofsupporters. Tothatend,wefocusedonstrengtheningourrelationshipwithkeystakeholdersthisyear.

OurmostimportantgroupofstakeholdersisthefamiliesofFreedomFellows TheSCFPwouldn’texistifthey didn’tallowustoworkwiththeiryoungpeople,soitisimportantthatweengagefamiliesasmuchaspossible Thisyear,wemadeanefforttogetmorefamiliesintotheLEADCenterforspecialevents,andweeveninvited them to join us on trips. We are also working to get families more formally involved as staff and board members,sothattheycanhelpshapethefuturedirectionofourprogramming.

SCFP alumni is another group of stakeholders that we were intentional about keeping engaged this year. They represent what’s possible for our current Fellows, and they also have innovativeideasthatcanstrengthenourprogramming.50%of this year ’ s Freedom Summer interns were former Freedom Fellows, and this fall, we welcomed SCFP alumnae, Shirlencia Smith,toourstaffasanAmericorpsVISTAservicemember

The past two years also illuminated the importance of educational travel as a core component of our program model. When it wasn’t safe to travel, Fellows reported feeling isolated andlessinterestedinourprogramming Ourtripshelpusbring

in-buildingprogrammingtolifeandtheyexposeourFellowstoavarietyofnewculturesandpotentialcollege and career opportunities This year, we visited six colleges throughout the academic year; we took a Spring Break trip to New Orleans where Fellows visited StudioBE and the Solitary Gardens; and we also returned to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (in Montgomery, AL) and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (inBirmingham,AL)–twodestinationswevisitannuallytocommemoratetheendofFreedomSummer

We will continue to adapt as we learn and as conditions change, but the SCFP will always be a safe space for young people to learn, explore, experience joy, and ultimately become the freedom fighters that our world desperatelyneeds.

Love Shoutout

Gender-Sexuality Alliance

Fellows discuss race often, but it’s not often that they have a space to safely explore how an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation impacts their experience in the world This fall, the SCFP launched its Gender-Sexuality Alliance to create that space FellowswereintroducedtoFreedomFighterswhohelpedadvance LGBTQ+ rights, and they engaged in difficult conversations about their own biases and societal misconceptions about gender identity and sexual orientation. Through the GSA, our Fellows builtacultureofallyship,vulnerability,safety,andsupport.

Literary Magazine

The 2022 Literary Magazine was titled Shattered Emotions After all the loss, stress, and pain that people have experienced over the last few years, Fellows thought it would be cool to create the literary equivalent of a rage room – where people go to relieve stress by destroying objects. The editorial team encouraged writers to be vulnerable, raw, and to view their submission for the literary magazine as their own personal rage room. As always, the literary magazine featured poems, short stories, and visual art fromFellowsandotherstudentsfromthelocalcommunity.

Ms. White (7th grade Fellow) genuinely cares about other Fellows and staff at the SCFP. She always asks everyone how they are doing, and if someone is having a bad day, Ms White will do everything in her power to cheer them up Other Fellows often shout her out for the way she spreadspositiveenergyandforherwillingnessto helpothers

Action Shoutout

The phrase comfort zone means seemingly nothingtoMr Washington(7thgradeFellow) He actively seeks out opportunities to expand his horizons,andwhenourstaffispushingFellowsto try something new, Mr Washington jumps in without hesitation As the Freedom Fellow who is most eager for Fitness class each week, Mr Washington also demonstrates action in the physicalsense

Education Shoutout

A lot of Fellows get discouraged when they don’t immediately understand something, but Ms. Gordon (9th grade Fellow) welcomes a new challenge and has no problem asking for extra help when she needs it During free time, you can find Ms Gordon tutoring other Fellows or searching for a new independent reading book in ourlibrary

Discipline Shoutout

Even on days when she isn’t feeling well or had a rough day at school, Ms Lee (7th grade Fellow) shows up and does her best to be fully present and engaged during programming The way that Ms Lee perseveres through challenges and communicates what she needs to show up as her best self is an example of discipline that both Fellowsandstaffcanlearnfrom

Summer 2022 in Review

Duetothepandemic,FreedomSummerCollegiate(FSC)wasvirtual2020-2021 FSC teachers and Fellows demonstrated so much flexibility and creativity during those two summers, and we are proud of how those courses turned out, but there are challenges with virtual instruction that we couldn’t avoid. Needless to say, we were very excited to have Freedom Summer Collegiate courses back in-person at the Freedom Projects this summer. We knew, however, that the return to in-person programmingwouldn’tbewithoutitsownchallenges.

The Freedom Projects were navigating their own transitions back to in-person programming this year, so we were intentional about limiting the capacity that Freedom Project staff would need to dedicate to FSC this summer. Instead of the normal cohort size of 12 teachers, we invited 6 teachers to join us this summer. (This decision was also made in the interest of safety to limit the risk of a covid outbreak at the Freedom Projects.) We also, in lieu of hiring a single program director, hired a FSC site coordinator at each site. These support staff members were former Freedom Fellows or former Freedom Project interns who were tasked with supportingbothFSCteachersandfull-timestaffattheFreedomProjectstoensurethatFSC ransmoothly

After having teachers co-design and co-teach virtual courses, we went back to teachers designing and teaching individual courses this summer. But even with different courses, teachers teaching at thesameFreedomProjecthadtoworkasateamtocreateasenseof cohesion between their courses and to achieve the best collective outcomesforFellows.Pandemic-relatedgapsinlearningimpacted students nationwide, but those impacts were exacerbated for Fellows who attend schools that are severely under-resourced. There has always been tension between addressing the need for remediation that many Fellows have and FSC’s philosophy of teaching which rejects the “teach to the test” model of instruction thatFellowsareaccustomedto Thattensionwasfeltmorestrongly thaneverbyourFSCstaffthissummer

This summer, Fellows explored the history of Black political ideologies; they learned how common food items like corn, rice, and sugar shaped histories of race and class; they used physics to better understand the concept of gravity; they analyzed data to identify root causes of poverty in America and brainstormed strategies to eliminate it; they researched diseases that disproportionately impact communities of color and ways that peopleofcolorcanadvocateforhealthequity;andtheystudiedthe history of technology while also (thanks to support from The Mathworks)buildingafullyfunctionalcomputerfromscratch

Even in the face of new challenges, both Fellows and teachers demonstrated all of the LEAD principles The courses were powerfullearningopportunities,and87%ofFellowsearnedcollege credit from Millsaps College for successfully passing both of the coursesthattheytook Kudostoy’all!

2022 FSC TEACHERS

This year's cohort was funded through a grant from the Phil Hardin Foundation

Food, Race, & Power

Poverty in America

Black Political Thought

History

Gravity

Demystifying Scientific Communication

The

Dr StephanieDick SimonFraserUniversity AssistantProfessor SchoolofCommunication

GisselePerez-Leon Univ.ofCalifornia,Berkeley

DerrickDupuy SiteCoordinator,MFP

Da’VonBoyd YaleUniversity PoliticalScience& AfricanAmericanStudies

Computer

Dr.MarjorieCantine Goethe-UniversitatFrankfurt PostdoctoralFellow

Dr.AuroraWashington BrownUniversity Biotechnology

Dr.RyanParsons Univ.ofMississippi AssistantProfessor SociologyandSouthernStudies

KendallKern SiteCoordinator,SCFP

JessikahMorton CommsCoordinator

AdryannaSifuentes SiteCoordinator,RFP

2022 in Review

2022 was an extraordinary year for the Alumni College Success Program (ACSP) Five accomplishments best sum uptheyear:

Biggest Graduating Class To-Date

In May, five members of the ACSP celebrated the successful completion of their undergraduate degrees (see more about them on page 15) We are so proud of these exemplary LEADers, and we look forward to following theirjourneystocareerandadvanceddegreeopportunities

Largest Entering Cohort To-Date

This fall, we welcomed nine recent high school graduates intotheACSPasthenewestalumnioftheSunflowerCounty and Rosedale Freedom Projects, the largest entering cohort to-date! We are very excited about the ACSP’s growth at the Rosedale Freedom Project and the community that Calvin Stewart, ACSP Coordinator for the Rosedale Freedom Project,isbuildingwiththosestudents.

Rosedale Hosts 2022 Summer Summit

Eachsummer,allnewandreturningmembersoftheACSP convene in Mississippi for our Summer Summit During the summit, we share stories of success and struggle, welcome new members and their families, and reflect on how the ACSP can be more effective The Summer Summit has historically been hosted at the Sunflower County Freedom Project, but considering the program’s growth at the Rosedale Freedom Project, we were excited to hold our summit in Rosedale this year It was a great day of reflection,planning,andcommunitybuilding

Alumni Joining ACSP Staff

This year, 2022 Berea College graduate Omar Washington joined the ACSP staff team As a former member of the ACSP, Omar is deeply familiar with the challenges college students face and can draw on his own experience in college to provideexcellentadvicetoouralumni

Additional Financial Support

In addition to our monthly scholarships, we introduced two new forms of financial support this year. To help students cover the cost of books, all members of the ACSP now receive a $200 textbook stipend at the beginning of each semester To help students resolve unexpected financial crises, we ’ ve instituted an emergency grant program Students submit an application explaining their hardship, and if approved, they canbeawardedagrantupto$1,000 Thesenewformsofsupporthavealreadyprovedextremelyvaluable,and wearegratefulforthegeneroussupportoftheManne-McGregorFamilythathelpedmakethispossibleforus

2022 ACSP Cohort

FirstYears

Ja'KellAllen,MSDeltaCC

AshlieBrown,CoahomaCountyCC

MacKenzieKnighten,UniversityofMississippi

KihyanaMarshall,TempleCollege

VanessaMartinez,JacksonStateUniversity

Ja'MyaPayne,UniversityofMississippi

AdryannaSifuentes,UniversityofMississippi

VindariusThomas,MSDeltaCC

AshtonWeeks,UniversityofSouthernMiss

ThirdYears

TatyanaStanford,MSUniversityforWomen

KaitaraBaker,UniversityofSouthernMiss

AshleyGordon,FiskUniversity

SecondYears

PhillystityGray,MSDeltaCC

ArmonMcKenzie,UniversityofMemphis

ChandlerRogers,CoahomaCountyCC

BeyonceRussell,HindsCC

Fourth+Years

QuayWilliams,UniversityofMississippi

SharondaEdwards,SanDiegoMiramarCC

KhadijahMorton,BereaCollege

SophiaGarcia,MississippiStateUniversity

JessikahMorton,HowardUniversity

WillieMcCaleb,UniversityofMississippi

KieraMonroe,XavierUniversityofLouisiana EzraMcWilliams,MississippiStateUniversity

“Financially, between Hurricane Ida, the pandemic, and being jobless, I’ve been through a lot this school year Emotionally, the weekly calls provided me with that sense of support that I did not know I needed And mentally, weekly counseling sessions helped me cope and process how I’m feeling emotionally to haveahealthymentalandphysicalresponse”

Love Shoutout

Ashley Gordon loves mentoring younger Freedom Fellows, so this past summer, she returned to the Sunflower County Freedom Project (for a second time) to teach during Freedom Summer Ashley also loves supporting her peers in college At Fisk University, Ashley worksinthecampusfoodpantrywhereshehelps ensurethatallstudentsoncampushaveaccessto enoughfoodtosustainthemselves

Action Shoutout

In his final year of college, Quay Williams has melded his passion for Black empowerment with his art and graphic design skills to create digital images, fashion, and other forms of art that explore inclusive, creative representations of Black identity He was recently invited to participateinNewYorkFashionWeekasanartist andmodel.

Education Shoutout

Ezra McWilliams’s passion for math radiates on each weekly mentorship call that he attends An extremely dedicated student at Mississippi State University, Ezra rigorously prepares for his exams, is a member of the Math Club, and recently became a math tutor on campus He is currentlystudyingfortheGREinpreparationfor graduateschool

Discipline Shoutout

When the pandemic hit, Sharonda Edwards took a leave of absence from Berea College and moved to California Many students have a hard time returning to school after a leave of absence, but Sharonda has already started taking courses at her local community college, and she plans to transfertoSanDiegoStateUniversitynextyearto finishherB.S.inBiology.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022!

Freedom Fellow Graduates

Ja’Kell Allen (left) graduated from Thomas Edwards High School as the valedictorian of his class He recently enrolled at Mississippi Delta Community College where he plans to study sports medicine and play on thefootballteam.

MacKenzie Knighten (right) graduated from the Mississippi School for Math and Science – a highly selective, residential high school for gifted students in Mississippi She recently enrolled at the University of Mississippiwheresheplanstojointhepre-medprogram

Kihyana Marshall (left) graduated from Thomas Edwards High School. SherecentlyenrolledatTempleCollegewheresheplanstostudyBiology.

Vin’Darius Thomas (right) graduated from Thomas Edwards High School. He recently enrolled at Mississippi Delta Community College where he planstostudyBusiness.

Ashton Weeks (left) graduated from Thomas Edwards High School He recently enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi where he planstostudyPsychology

Kendra Womack (right) graduated from North Sunflower Academy. She recently enrolled at Coahoma Community College where she plans to studybusiness,singinthechoir,andplayintheband.

VanessaMartinez(left)–whorepresentedtheRosedaleFreedomProject at the national Activists X Academics Conference – graduated from West BolivarHighSchool SheiscurrentlyenrolledatJacksonStateUniversity, wheresheplanstostudyCriminalJustice

(right) – who co-facilitated the Rosedale Freedom ve Writing Club – graduated from West Bolivar High urrentlyenrolledatCoahomaCommunityCollege,where heplanstostudyCreativeWriting.

Adryanna Sifuentes (left) – who served as Director of the Rosedale Freedom Project Filmmaking Team – graduated from West Bolivar High School She is currently enrolled at the University of Mississippi, where sheplanstopursueadegreeinMultidisciplinaryStudies.

Ja’MyaPayne(right)–whowasoneoftheRosedaleFreedomProject’sfirst restorativejusticefacilitators–graduatedfromWestBolivarHighSchool She is currently enrolled at the University of Mississippi, where she plans tostudySociology.

Ashlie Brown (not pictured) graduated from Gentry High School She recently enrolled at Coahoma Community College where she plans to studymusicandplayintheband

Alumni College Graduates

Eustace Apolonio graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration While at the University of Mississippi, Eustace served as President of Men of Excellence, a student organization that empowers Blackmenoncampus EustaceiscurrentlyrelocatingtoAtlantatoworkinsales

MariLampkingraduatedmagnacumlaudefromMississippiStateUniversitywitha triple major in Business Administration, Fashion Merchandising, and Marketing. WhileatMississippiState,Maritookonseveralinternships,withherfavoritebeing at Mississippi First, the state’s leading education policy organization. Mari recently accepted a role on Kohl's Corporation’s merchandising team. In the future, she hopestofoundandoperateaphilanthropicfoundation.

Von Jackson graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Leadership. While at the University of Mississippi, Von supplemented his coursework with a variety of experiences including: the Men of Excellence program, a research project with a professor, a summer teaching internship at the Rosedale Freedom Project, and the Aspen Youth Leader Summer Fellowship Voniscurrentlyexploringopportunitiesinthepublicpolicyfield

MyeshaStovallgraduatedmagnacumlaudefromMississippiStateUniversitywith a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology While at Mississippi State, Myesha was a beloved Resident Assistant, sports enthusiast, and a passionate mentor Myesha also returned to the Sunflower County Freedom Project multiple summers to serve as a Freedom Summer Teaching Assistant Myesha is currently applying to doctoral programs for Physical Therapy, with plans to become a physicaltherapistsomeday.

Omar Washington graduated from Berea College with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Music Education While at Berea, Omar worked for local and stateDemocraticcampaignsanddevelopedhisskillsasatrumpetplayerandmusic instructor Omar recently moved to New York City, where he works at Reading Partners, a nonprofit focused on empowering young people through literacy He has also joined the staff of the Alumni College Success Program where he mentors currentFreedomProjectalumniincollege

Thanks to the support of our Freedom Project Network family, 2022 was our best fundraising year to-date.Asaresult,wewereableto:

disburse~$200,000ingeneraloperatingsupportdirectlytotheFreedomProjects; invest in new systems for data and measurement infrastructure like Salesforce, which will now beourcentralrepositoryforallstudentandstaffdata; expand our annual Network-wide staff summit from a 1-day to a 2-day experience with lodging andmealsprovidedbytheFreedomProjectNetwork; increase the stipend that our Freedom Summer Collegiate teachers receive to offset the cost of travelandlivingexpensesforthe5-weekprogram;and expand the budget for our Alumni College Success Program to include a textbook stipend for each student in the program at the start of each semester and an emergency grant fund for studentsexperiencingfinancialhardshipsthatimpedetheirsuccessinschool.

As we look ahead to 2023, we are counting on the continued support of the Freedom Project Network family. If you felt inspired by anything that you read in thisreport,pleaseconsidermakingagifttosupportour work.Withyoursupport,wecan:

Expandourstaff

Our Executive Director is currently our only full-timestaffmember. Centralize administrative systems shared by FreedomProjects

At present, each Freedom Project is dedicating significant financial resources and staff and board capacity to perform accounting, bookkeeping,andhumanresourcefunctions. Absorb more of the Freedom Projects’ fundraising responsibilities

The less time Freedom Project staff has to dedicatetofundraising,themoretimetheycan dedicatetodeliveringexcellentprogramming.

Overall,theFreedomProjectNetworkiscommittedtoprovidingresourcesthattheFreedomProjects needtocontinuedeliveringtransformativeeducationalexperiencestoyoungpeopleacross Mississippi.Yourcontinuedsupporthelpsmakethatworkpossible–soagain,thankyousomuch. Andifyou’reinterestedingettinginvolvedbeyondmonetarygifts(e.g.,probonowork,board service,mentorship,etc.),don’thesitatetoreachout!

Thank You to Our Donors

Erica & Chris Myers Asch

Lydia Bates

Russ & Shannon Cannon

Colin Dale

Teal Dodrill

Andy Donnelly

Rich & Mary Donnelly

Stephen Donnelly

Hannah Dunham

Kate Failing

Keith Finan

Sarah Franzen

Andrea Greer

Amy Hall

Amelia Hastings

Mary Hitt

Candice Holmes

Jessie Holtz

Phuong Nguyen & Kevin Schaaf

Robert Kirkpatrick

Barry & Laura Korobkin

John Matthews

Eric & Isabelle Mayer

Marjie Findlay & Geoff Freeman

George Gibson

Kate Gluckman

Emily Gowen

Karen & George Gowen

E.J. Mentry

Dave Miller

Alison Overseth

Shawn & Alicia Raymond

Paul Ridgway

Claire Ruegg

Ann Shackelford

Vaish Shastry

David Smith

Jason Terrell

Laranda Walker

Maggie White

Dan Wolkowitz

Bhatia Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Chicago Community Trust

Claneil Foundation

General Electric

Manne-McGregor Charitable Fund

Northminster Baptist Church

Walton Family Foundation

Thank You to Our Partners