Reading Time: 2 minutes
The new 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa, is an after-school literacy program inspired by the Freedom Schools of the 1960s civil-rights movement.
Founder Nikole Hannah-Jones sees the long struggle of Waterloo’s Black community for capital and support echoed in many other places. But now, a cadre of Black community leaders have raised funds from around the country for efforts — including the 1619 Freedom School — to make Waterloo more equitable.
“We are at a very pivotal moment,” said Hannah-Jones, a Waterloo native and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
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Mary Wilder reads the book “The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist” to fourth- and fifth-grade students at the 1619 Freedom School. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) -
A student jacket hangs on a chair at the 1619 Freedom School. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) -
Books are displayed at the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) -
De’Von Jordan, 9, looks over the shoulder of Ja’myah Avila, 9, as they read “The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist” together at the 1619 Freedom School. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) -
The exterior of the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa, on Jan. 20, 2022. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity)
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