Freedom Summer at Western College for Women

On June 14, 1964, the first group of summer volunteers began training at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio. College students from across the country were recruited by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and other organizations to go to Mississippi to teach in Freedom Schools, build community centers, and register African-Americans to vote. Three of the most famous activists from this event were James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. Chaney and Schwerner were civil rights activists and Goodman was a Freedom Summer volunteer. The three were found dead after traveling to Mississippi to investigate the burning of a Black church.

Western College president Herrick Young was first requested to host a “special student conference” by the Presbyterian Board on May 5th, 1964. This request stated the event would run from June 15th - June 30th and would bring 450-550 students to the campus in preparation for “summer service projects in the south”. The Freedom Summer event was originally planned for Berea College in Kentucky, but they contacted the Presbyterian Board late saying they would need to cancel. 

The orientation of volunteers at Western College formally began on June 13th, 1964. This orientation spanned two weeks and volunteers attended small group workshops and general classes in which they were taught Mississippi geography and the history of slavery in America. During these orientation sessions organizers preached the harsh reality of the violence and suppression occurring in Mississippi to the young college-aged volunteers. Organizers and Bob Moses constantly warned volunteers of the violence they would potentially face, preparing them with non-violent self-defense techniques. These conversations about race, biases, and the state of the nation often lasted long into the early hours of the morning.

Bob Moses, recognized as the leader of the Freedom Summer movement helped direct the trainings at Miami University. In 1960 he was sent to the south on behalf of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to find students to attend an SNCC conference. It was on this trip that he learned about Blacks being denied their voting rights-- this sparked his passion. Moses became the face of the SNCC’s voter registration efforts, training volunteers across the country including the volunteers at Miami University’s Western campus. During these training sessions, Moses emphasized the non-violent techniques necessary to help Black citizens of the south be registered to vote.

In December of 2019 Several halls on Western campus were dedicated to specific events of Freedom Summer. Lobbies in Beechwoods Hall, Hillcrest Hall and Stonebridge Hall dedicated to James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. There are also historical signs, memorial classrooms, artwork, and trees located at the site on Western campus. The Freedom Summer memorial commemorates the actions and courage of those who volunteered in this historical event. Located near Kumler Chapel, this marker offers brief details on the event from Miami’s point of view. The memorial also includes the frightening details of how the three men appeared to have gone missing and were feared to be casualties of “Mississippi Justice”. Forty-four days after their initial disappearance, they were found dead.

This stop represents the history of the Freedom Summer Tour and its ties to Western College for Women campus. Western College president Herrick Young began planning to host the orientation training in May of 1964. The formal orientation of these volunteers began in June of 1964 as they learned how to register Black voters for when they traveled to Mississippi. Bob Moses was the undisputed leader of the Freedom Summer Tour and many of the orientation sessions for volunteers. He preached on non-violent methods and self-defense, warning the volunteers of the dangers they may encounter. Three volunteers were subject to this violence as they died while investigating the burning of a Black church. The Freedom Summer Memorial was erected in their honor and common spaces in several western dorms commemorate their efforts for civil rights.

May 5th, 1964, Memo from Western College President detailing the first request for the campus to host the freedom summer tour. Box 1 Folder 1. Miami University Archives and Special Collection. http://archivesspace.lib.miamioh.edu/repositories/2/resources/624.

May 25th, 1964, Memo from President Young containing a detailed weekly schedule for all volunteers participating in the conference on Western campus. Box 1 Folder 2. Miami University Archives and Special Collection.http://archivesspace.lib.miamioh.edu/repositories/2/resources/624.

Volunteer orientation for Freedom Summer in Oxford, Ohio, SNCC Digital Gateway. Accessed April 3rd 2021. https://snccdigital.org/events/volunteer-orientation-freedom-summer/.

June 1964, Ellen Barnes’s account of the Freedom Summer Orientation in Oxford, Ohio. Historical Society Library Microforms Room, Micro 44, Reel 2, Segment 26. https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/p15932coll2/id/33928.

June 9th, 1964, First page of a memo to orientation staff detailing events, groups, staff, and times of the training on Western College. Document 64069. Civil Rights Movement Archive. https://www.crmvet.org/docs/640609_cofo_orientationplan.pdf.

June 1964, Volunteers congregate outside to sing during breaks. Miami University Archives and Special Collection Box 1 Folder 2. http://archivesspace.lib.miamioh.edu/repositories/2/resources/624.

June 1964. Bob Moses, organizer of the Freedom Summer, talks to volunteers at an orientation meeting inside Peabody Hall. Ted Polumbaum Photo Archive. https://www.newseum.org/collection/ted-polumbaum-photos/.

Voter registration form used by volunteers to register Black voters in the south. Box 6 Folder 5 Miami University Archives and Special Collection. http://archivesspace.lib.miamioh.edu/repositories/2/resources/624.