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A Mississippi ‘freedom school’ in Brooklyn

By Derrick Stilley

Since the Paul Robeson Freedom School opened in 2012, more than 500 students have enrolled in its diverse programming, which includes training in the electrical trades, Black history and music. 

“I’m really caught up in a world where young people are telling me their dreams. I’m loving it, I’m loving it,” said Rodney “The Radio Rahim” Deas, the school’s founder and  director. 

Troy Quallo, one of the electrical skills students, said he is learning about much more than how to connect wires. The freedom school, he added, is “really just making sure that we stay together with like-minded individuals, so that we can build on what we have.” 

Named after the author, actor, professional athlete and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, the freedom school relies on teachers who are volunteers. Many have been there since the start. 

After the 2013-14 school year, the New York City Board of Education closed the former Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology on Albany Avenue, located 22 blocks away from the community center now housing the Freedom School. They cited declining student enrollment and academic performance. The board of education also said it wanted to replace highly populated schools with smaller ones specializing in specific subjects and themes. The closure, though, sparked a walkout by students and teachers. Parents joined that protest. Pathways in Technology Early College High School replaced Robeson High.

The first Freedom Schools were established in 1964 as part of the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project. Educating African Americans during a time when education was segregated. 

Jennifer Saunders, a Rutgers University professor and longtime friend of Deas, has taught at the school since its inception. This summer, she has been teaching film, media and literacy. 

“So, my goal,” she said, “now is to train the youth so they can speak in the terms that I speak.”