Trace the footsteps of the many volunteers that participated in Freedom Summer 1964.
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.
Learn more at MiamiOH.edu/freedomsummer
Leonard Theatre in Peabody Hall
The first week’s general training sessions were held in Leonard Theatre. They covered topics such as stereotypes, racism in Mississippi, the theory and practice of nonviolence, legal issues, and confronting one’s own prejudices. During the second week of orientation, Freedom School teachers trained in Leonard Theatre.
Kumler Chapel
During the first week of training, Reverend Ed King conducted a memorial service for Medgar Evers in Kumler Chapel. The second week, a vigil was held for the three missing men, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman. It was a month before they were found, murdered. The Freedom Summer Memorial, next to Kumler Memorial Chapel, commemorates the courage and commitment of all Freedom Summer volunteers. The memorial was commissioned to be a permanent reminder of the ideals of Freedom Summer and to recognize the contributions of all who participated in Freedom Summer in Mississippi.
McKee Hall
During the orientation, every single residence hall and room was used, including the home economics cabin and the rooms in the infirmary. Guest speakers, activists, and volunteers stayed in Mary Lyon Hall (demolished in 2013), Thomson Hall, McKee Hall, Peabody Hall, and Clawson Hall. Journals and letters describe how participants had important conversations in residence hall lounges until late in the evening.
Boyd Hall
Each afternoon, participants met with their project’s section, a cohort of volunteers and activists who would be stationed in the same community in Mississippi. In the classrooms here, they learned about the African American community, the geography, and the specific details of white resistance in that particular region. There were about 40 project sites in Mississippi for Freedom Summer.
Thomson Hall
During the orientation, every single residence hall and room was used, including the home economics cabin and the rooms in the infirmary. Guest speakers, activists, and volunteers stayed in Mary Lyon Hall (demolished in 2013), Thomson Hall, McKee Hall, Peabody Hall, and Clawson Hall. Journals and letters describe how participants had important conversations in residence hall lounges until late in the evening.
Clawson Hall
On the lawn in front of Clawson Hall, volunteers participated in role-playing workshops, learned nonviolent self-defense techniques, and sang Freedom Songs. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s communications team, led by Julian Bond, turned a Clawson lounge into their central operations center. Here, during the second week of training, they watched national news stories on TV about the search for the three volunteers missing in Mississippi. It was a month before they were found, murdered. The busses to Mississippi departed from Clawson Hall at the end of the training session.
Presser Hall | Kelley Auditorium
In the second session of training, general sessions were held here. They offered a historical perspective on racism and covered topics such as racism, segregation, the theory and practice of nonviolence, legal issues, and confronting one’s own prejudices. On June 22, Bob Moses and Rita Schwerner addressed a new group of volunteers here to explain that Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman were missing. It was a month before they were found, murdered.
Note: In a 2008 renovation, Kelley Auditorium was replaced by rehearsal space.