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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Samuel Proctor Oral History Program

Mississippi Freedom Project

The Mississippi Freedom Project (MFP) is an award-winning archive of 200+ oral history interviews conducted with veterans of the civil rights movement and notable residents of the Mississippi Delta.

The collection centers on activism and organizing in partnership with the Sunflower County Civil Rights Organization in Sunflower, Mississippi.

Upcoming MFP Trips:

MFP 2023:

In July 2023, SPOHP student researchers are returning to Alabama and the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta for the 15th annual Mississippi Freedom Project fieldwork trip. Over the course of a week, staff and students will travel to Tallahassee, FL; Pensacola, FL; Clarksdale, MS; Glendora, MS; Elaine, AR; Montgomery, AL; and Tuskegee, AL to conduct interviews with civil rights activists, lawyers, farmers, veterans, entrepreneurs, historic preservationists, faculty from HBCUs, and others from rural, predominantly Black communities. Students will be trained to conduct oral histories while learning the broader context and important historical background for this fieldwork. SPOHP is grateful to our generous donors who enable our students to participate in this trip at little to no cost!

MFP 2022:

The trip is scheduled for late July, early August. Please complete the application below by April 30, 2022 at 11:59PM. If you have any questions, feel free to email the trip coordinators: Adolfho Romero (adolfhoromero@ufl.edu), Lauren King (laurenking@ufl.edu), or Ronan Hart (r.hart@ufl.edu) Some of the places we have traveled to in the past include: Tallahassee, FL, Montgomery, AL, Natchez, MS, Glendora, MS, Elaine, AR. Our finalized itinerary will be released upon acceptance to the fieldwork trip.

Additionally, thanks to the help of generous donors, the only cost that students will be required to pay for on the trip is meals; however, we always recommend that you bring additional money for personal shopping.

Trip Requirements:

  • Attend one of our informational meetings over the summer (virtual or in person)
  • Study scholarly works about the Civil Rights Movement in the Delta (materials will be provided)
  • Conduct fieldwork for a week throughout the Mississippi Delta
  • Write a reflection essay about the trip

MFP 2022 Application

Mississippi Freedom Project Events and Research News

Archival Collections

  • Oral history interviews for the Mississippi Freedom Project are available online at the University of Florida Digital Collections. Audio and additional interviews are available to access through the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program offices.
  • “I Never Will Forget” (2014) An edited volume, compiled by MFP Coordinator Sarah Blanc, was released in June 2014 for the Freedom Summer reunions with the Sunflower County Civil Rights Organization in Mississippi. Over 100 MFP interviews were processed and transcribed between 2013-2014 thanks to generous support from George A. Smathers Libraries.
  • Digital media resources including community workshops, podcasts, and organizing workshops are available online.
  • Check out MFP on Wikipedia with lists of interviewees, topics, and project background!

Ongoing Research

Field research is conducted during annual research trips by students and staff who conduct oral history interviews, help to facilitate public workshops, and attend lectures with veteran activists. This work lends the collection a unique focus on connecting the historical lessons of organizing with Mississippi’s current social and political climate. In the most recent trip, researchers were able to help document the legacies of the 1919 Elaine Massacre in Phillips County, Arkansas under the direction of the Elaine Legacy Center. During this trip researchers are also able to reflect on the impact of the Civil Rights movement at the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Each semester, staff, volunteers, and interns process interviews for the Mississippi Freedom Project, transcribing interviews and organizing a yearly panel in Gainesville to report on archival research from the latest trip.

Contact the Mississippi Freedom Project

2015 Elizabeth B. Mason Project Award

In Fall 2015, the Oral History Association recognized the mini-grant partnership between SPOHP and George A. Smathers Libraries for the “Freedom Summer Oral History and Library Curation Project” in 2013-2014 with its Elizabeth B. Mason Award for outstanding research goals and accomplishments. Coordinator Sarah Blanc accepted the award in October 2015 with project staff member Diana Dombrowski at the OHA conference in Tampa, FL.

Funding and Research Sponsorship

The Mississippi Freedom Project and research trip is sponsored by George A. Smathers Libraries, Mr. William De Grove, the UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, UF African American Studies program, UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UF Office of Research, The Sunflower County Civil Rights Organization & The Sam Block Civil Rights Organization.

For additional information, contact SPOHP, call the offices at (352) 392-7168, and connect with us online today. Above photo by Rosie King, Mississippi Freedom Project 2014 Research Trip photos by AAHP Coordinator Justin Dunnavant.