The Summer Project involved hundreds of volunteers from around the country. The first wave of volunteers was assigned to voter registration in ongoing and new projects. The second wave came to teach in the Freedom Schools. By the end of the summer, the number of volunteers rose to 650, many of whom were experiencing the rural South for the first time. Host families fed and housed volunteers, risking becoming a target by White night riders, who viewed volunteers as outside agitators and Communists.
Pictured: A black and white photograph of Dr. Staughton Lynd lecturing to a group of Freedom School teachers. Lynd stands at a podium in front of the group in a white t-shirt and black pants. Some members of the group have their hands raised.
Credit: Herbert Randall Freedom Summer Photographs, McCain Library and Archives, University of Southern Mississippi
