Inside a small, mural-covered building just outside Indianola, Mississippi, 14-year-old Tamorris Carter made the rounds, bouncing lightly on his heels.
He stopped frequently to explain objects of interest; pictures of class field trips to civil rights monuments, or a poster he made on “social dominance orientation,” a term that describes one’s tolerance for social inequality. Even in moments of pause, Tamorris found a way to remain in motion. He would smooth down the cap on his head, lean forward to pinch the bubbles of a rainbow-printed fidget toy and trace the words of his poster.
Tamorris was giving a tour of the Sunflower County Freedom Project, an after-school and summertime educational program where he’d been a student for a little over two years. The Sunflower County Freedom Project is one location of the Freedom Project Network, an organization that gives Mississippi students “holistic and liberatory education experiences.”
At the Freedom Projects, students—called “Freedom Fellows”—learn about Black and Indigenous history, math, reading, and public speaking. The program also prepares students for college. Freedom Fellows range in age from third to 12th grade.
Most Freedom Fellows at the Sunflower County location are from Indianola, the county seat. Around 9,000 people live there; 84% of them are Black. Almost a third live in poverty. The town center is ringed by cotton fields, which in July, are low to the ground and bright green. In certain places, neat rows of small plants extend to the horizon. The Mississippi State Penitentiary, a place once described by historian David Oshinksy as “the closest thing to slavery that survived the Civil War,” is a short drive from Indianola. Last year, the town made national news when an Indianola police officer shot an unarmed, Black 11-year-old in the chest.
Tamorris Carter stands for a portrait in Indianola, Miss. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50 ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-45868″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=1568%2C1046&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50.jpg?w=1999&ssl=1 1999w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tamorris-Carter_cred-Andrea-Morales-for-MLK50-1024×683.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>Tamorris Carter stands for a portrait in Indianola,
Read original article by clicking here.