Our world tilted since my interview with Bettie Hodges back in March of this year. But her essentials, and certainly those of the Hannah Freedom School are unchanged and unflinching in the face of our current COVID-19 crisis. In fact, she is part of the solution and will undoubtedly play a major role in Marin County students’ return to learning this summer.
Bettie Hodges is the Executive Director, braintrust and heart center of the Hannah Freedom School. After spending just an hour with her, I understood at once why she is so loved and respected by families all over Southern Marin and of course, by all of us here at Heart of the Village. The peaceful, beatific expression of her face lies in fascinating contradiction to how swiftly and purposefully she moves. Her voice is gentle, but she chooses her words carefully, each one pregnant with meaning. The gravity of her tone speaks for her. As a listener, you understand that your job in that moment is to listen and learn. The sheer pleasure of her company aside, Bettie is someone that we should all get know. But first, a brief introduction to the organization and an explanation of their mission and programs.
The Hannah Project partnership for Academic Achievement has operated a Freedom Schools Program in Marin City in affiliation with the Children’s Defense Fund since 2010. The CDF Freedom Schools® program is a multicultural summer enrichment program that helps kids fall in love with reading and generates more positive attitudes toward learning. The curriculum and activities are so fun, energetic and effective that student enrollment almost doubled, from 84 to 151 participants from 2018 to 2019. The kids experience an average increase in their instructional reading levels of 1.4 years. The best part, of course, is that pre and post testing prove that Hannah students carry that invaluable summer learning with them well into the academic year.
And just for the record, it would be a mistake to call this amazing program an “enrichment experience” or a “summer camp.” “The Freedom School,” Bettie said, “is intentionally designed to be a holistic learning environment and this expands far beyond the provision of books and instruction in the Spanish language.” The kids explore world cultures through music and dance. They also learn about nutrition and are provided healthy and wholesome foods throughout the day. This is crucial as Marin City itself was considered a “food desert” until Target moved into town in 2017. The Freedom School fosters family empowerment by including parents in the development and evaluation of program activities. The program encourages and often inspires parents to improve their own literacy so that they can more effectively advocate and express agency within their communities and schools.
During our interview, Bettie predicted that the culminating school-wide project would focus on voting rights. “I think they’ll pick the national election in November. Over the course of the program the kids learn about community engagement and the importance of our enfranchisement.” A great deal has happened since that prediction, and even though their spring got turned upside down, I personally can’t wait to see what new insights the kids will bring to their project this year. Whether they tackle public health initiatives, the challenges of distance learning or the upcoming national election, I’m sure they’ll hit it out of the park.
The name “Freedom School” may ring a bell for you because it was inspired by Freedom Summer, or the Mississippi Summer Project: a 1964 voting registration drive where 700 mostly white volunteers joined African Americans on the ground in Mississippi in fighting against blatant discrimination and intimidation at the polls. The Project organized Freedom Schools-a summer education program that provided Black children and teenagers with a richer educational experience than Mississippi’s still substantively segregated public schools could provide. The schools modeled responsibility, civic engagement and leadership with the goal of growing the student body into an informed political force capable of changing their own state from within. The Hannah Freedom School is founded upon this noble history and continues this valuable work even now, right here in Marin.
Meeting Bettie was special to me for many reasons. I got my first glimpse of her at Freedom Movement-a Musical, an MLK Day celebration which depicted the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964 with song. I was struck by the amazing voices of the adult performers and the shy, sweet smiles of the kids, but during the performance I was somewhat startled to learn that some of the first Freedom Schools were established in my hometown, Hattiesburg, Mississippi and also in my place of birth in Greenwood, Mississippi. You can imagine my excitement when I finally met Bettie and learned that she has Mississippi roots herself and visited often as a child. I do love Mill Valley, but I am thrilled and honored to work with an organization that has such a direct connection to my beautiful, haunted home state.
Even now I can clearly recall my own parents’ and grandparents’ dreadful stories and painful descriptions of Freedom Summer and those tumultuous years during the fight for desegregation, racial equality and voting rights for African Americans. I remember the tremor in their voices as they spoke about the soaring triumphs and cruel violence that they witnessed. Their stories were excruciating to hear, but I knew, even back then that their sacrifices made it possible girls like me to have access to an excellent education.
Now I am a woman, rearing my own girls in one of the most beautiful places in the country. And while we’ve certainly made progress, all of us at Heart of the Village know that the racism that we fight here and now may look and sound a little different, but it is the exact same in its cruelty and insidiousness. It’s cleverly embedded into the foundations of our most beloved and trusted institutions. This brand of racism isn’t always overt. It is often subtly and almost imperceptibly expressed. It hides in plain sight. The Hannah Project, under Bettie’s leadership, seeks to interrupt and eradicate it and we are on board with her! We want you to join us, and there’s never been a better time than now.
The Hannah Project has numerous volunteer opportunities and community events so that you can engage and pitch in with this movement. And we commit to highlight and promote each one, right here at www.heartofthevillage.org. But until we are given the all clear and can actually leave out houses without hazmat suits, we still challenge you to take action!
The number of kids needing the Freedom School’s summer learning program will certainly double now that all hope of a return to classroom instruction this Spring is over. You may not be able to volunteer, but you can, right now and in this unique moment, give your financial support to this amazing work that enriches and strengthens our entire community. And you can feel good knowing that you are doing your part to make our Valley a place that truly walks the talk.
Yours in soul, power and love,
Halicue