Freedom School Turns Summer Break Into A Reading Habit

Summer break can quietly undo months of progress, especially when kids lose daily reading practice. We sit down with Dr. Fraronda Green, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School at Savannah Grove Baptist Church, to talk about a summer literacy program designed to fight summer reading loss while building pride, confidence, and community. Dr. Green connects the program’s purpose to the legacy of Freedom Summer, reminding us that literacy has always been about voice, access, and possibility. 

We get specific about what families want to know: what a typical day actually looks like. Dr. Green breaks down Harambe (“let’s pull together”), the high-energy morning gathering filled with chants, music, and movement that helps scholars start the day connected. From there, the program moves into integrated reading, where students work through structured curriculum with discussion, questions, and hands-on activities that make books feel alive. We also talk enrichment, from art and singing to photography, and why creative exposure supports academic growth, not distracts from it. 

A standout feature is mentorship. Servant leader interns, current college students, help lead reading and activities, creating a real intergenerational pipeline of encouragement. We also share key logistics: Freedom School runs June 15 through July 17, with limited spots remaining for rising 6th through 8th graders, plus how to apply through the church office and social media. If you care about youth development, reading motivation, and practical community-based education, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a parent, and leave us a review.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Hello everyone, good evening. This is just Celia Williams. Welcome, welcome. I can't talk today. Welcome to Native Drums. Uh, it's a blessing to be here. And today, this evening, we have with us one of the children, the babies of Savannah Grove Baptist Church who has grown up to become a doctor, a PhD. Yes, uh, Dr. Fironda Green. Hello, Dr. Green.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Hello, how are you? Mama Joe.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Oh, I'm great, because it's a pleasure to have you here with us here on Native Drums. Um, and we are ever so proud of you here at Savannah Grove Baptist Church to see our little one grow up and then just to become um the grand woman that you are. So we thank God for you.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Appreciate it. I am because y'all are. Oh, bless you. Bless you. We appreciate you as well.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Bless you. Now, look, Veronda is the executive director of the Freedom School, which is about to begin on the 15th of June. Correct.

What Freedom School Stands For

SPEAKER_01 1:07

So, Veronda, tell us about the Freedom School, the vision, the mission, and on what the school is about.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Yeah, so Children's Defense Fund Freedom School is actually a nationally acclaimed program that is all across our country in various cities, states, uh, and what its origins are from the Freedom Summer. So when young people went across the country and they were trying to bring awareness and excuse me, support people with voter registration, as well as just educating them generally within our marginalized communities. And so from that, um Marion Wright Elderman and um uh Ella Baker, they came together to create what we now know as the Freedom Schools. And in 1991 or 93, I can't remember the exact year, um, they started what it is that we know now as the Freedom Schools, which is a literacy-based program. Okay. Um and so it is meant to support summer reading loss. It is also meant to be um uh an empowerment um place for our young people, as well as it being a place for us bias. So for our young people to see themselves in the curriculum and in you know the day-to-day activities that they do uh during the time that they are with the freedom schools, and it is a summer program.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

It's a summer program. Yes, it is.

A Typical Day From Harambe

SPEAKER_01 2:30

So, um what are the daily activities? What uh typical day at freedom school look like?

SPEAKER_00 2:36

So great question. So they start off with harambe, which means let's pull together and they start off hype. Um so they're doing cheers and chants, they're doing, they have a some dance moves to the hallelujah chorus.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Oh my.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Yes, yes. Um, they also have some dance moves to um, oh man, uh, what's the name of the song? There's another song um there's and I'm blanking on it right now, but it is meant to be a pulling together. So all the scholars all at the same time coming together, cheering together, chanting together, singing together, dancing together, moving together, and just getting ready for the day. And then from there they go into what is called integrated reading. Um, and there's a curriculum that is associated with integrated uh reading, um, where the SLIs, which are servant leader interns, are teaching them uh and they go through at least one book a week. For our younger scholars, they actually go through one book a day where they are reading the book together, they are doing different activities within the book, they're answering questions, having discussions, creating things, activities, um, and just really fostering that love for reading. And then from there, they go into afternoon activities. And so this is where the enrichment really comes in. So we could have anything from dancing to singing, uh to painting. We're gonna have our resident um photographer over here to come in and do some things with the arts. Um, and so yeah, so anything that we can think of, uh, we are we're going to be, you know, trying to immerse them and expose them to as much as we possibly

College Interns And Community Mentors

SPEAKER_00 4:07

can.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Great, great. Now, I understand you have included um college students in in this project.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Yes. So the servant leader interns are actually current college students. Um they have they have varying backgrounds, they are majoring in a myriad of things, um, and they are the ones that are going to be supporting the curriculum as well as the afternoon activity. So they're really the bedrock of the freedom school.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Well, that's great. That's great to have um the college students come in and um because it will almost be like a mentoring situation.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

That is what it is also meant to be, and also intergenerational. Um, because we'll also have opportunities for blindness, cash, everybody, cash. Say hello to him. Um we'll also have the opportunity for um for our uh community members to come in. So we'll be inviting you, for example, to do a read-aloud. Um, and they are volunteers and all so it's intergenerational, so everybody has an opportunity to touch our our young people.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Oh, that's wonderful. That's wonderful.

Dates Spots And How To Apply

SPEAKER_01 5:11

So the Freedom School, everyone, that takes place on June 15th through July 17th. Correct, yes. Now, um do you have all of your do you have any available spots?

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Yes, very limited. Um, so most of our spots are filled up, but we do have three more spots for grades six through eight. So if you were a sixth grader, seventh grader, or eighth grader for the 25-26 school year, then we invite you to apply. You can contact the church office to get the application. It's also on Savannah Grove's uh social media. Um, and you can apply and you'll hear back from us within 24 to 48 hours, and we'll get you signed up and ready to go for Monday.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Yeah, just call at uh the number 843-662-7851. That's 843-662-7851. And a wonderful young lady by the name of Miss Gwen will answer and she can help you, correct? Yes, that is correct. That's right, that's right. Now look,

Dr. Green’s Teaching Journey

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Fironda is a teacher of teachers, correct? I love to say that. You know I get a kick out of that. So tell us, you know, I want to talk about you a little bit. Tell us what that's about.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Yeah, so um I am in education. I I think this is my 17th year. 17th?

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Uh-uh.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

I'm aging you when I say that right now. Because what she's not saying is that she was part of raising you. This is this is second mama over here. So um, her children are my siblings, all of these.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Yeah, all together.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

But yeah, we've been in this game for a little bit. So yeah, I think it's my 17th year in education. I started off teaching middle and high school English. Um, I did that for eight years, and now I work for a nonprofit called Teach for America, where we support um early career teachers across our country. Um, and so that is what it is that I do now.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Wow, that's awesome. So you're traveling all the time.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Oh, yes, in and out all the time. I'll actually be traveling for work next week.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Oh my goodness. Oh wow. You know, I often tell people about getting back to uh uh your growing up with Najee. I'll often tell people how your mother and I used to go to the movies with you and your boyfriends, our daughters, you and their boyfriends. We would go to the movies or they would sit up there and listen. That was their dating time because we were and they didn't mind it. We did it, we did it, we did it. And more of that needs to happen. That's why. Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, that protection, yeah. Um protection of e of the guys and the girls, you know, together. Yeah, so taking out parents, taking out parents. Absolutely. It works, believe me, it works. We have wonderful young women, uh, and um embarrassed me. Uh they're all um doing their thing, uh, being entrepreneurs and uh teaching America. You know, it's awesome, it's wonderful. Fran, it's always great to see you and always great to be around you. And again, like I said, we're just ever so grateful.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

Thanks for the invitation. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Our pleasure, our pleasure.

Final Reminder And Sign Off

SPEAKER_01 8:28

So again, um the Freedom School takes place on June 15th through July 17th. And there are three uh slots available. That's what grades? Grades six, seventh, or eighth. Sixth, seventh, or eighth. And um just call 843-662-7851 uh if you are interested. If you have uh a middle schooler, yes, middle school, uh that needs that um extra literacy um curriculum. So give us a call. All right, everyone. This is Josilia at Innative Drums. Thank you ever so much for watching, and I'll see you next week.