How do we get free?
It starts with education…
The one you NEVER got in school.
Freedom School 2022
Freedom School will give you the analysis, intellectual framework, and practical tools you need to think critically about oppression and actively move towards liberation. The entire 12 months will be grounded in the Black feminist perspective.
We have been so proud to run Freedom School for the past four years and create a community of learners, explorers and activists. This will be the last year we run Freedom school, so if you ever thought about taking it now is the time. Make 2022 the year of liberation!
Black. Feminist.
Revolutionary.
Freedom School will help you develop your self-awareness and capacity to act in ways that will create a lasting impact.
“We realize that the liberation of all oppressed peoples necessitates the destruction of the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism as well as patriarchy.”
~ The Combahee River Collective Statement
You Have A Voice.
It’s Time You Used It.
There’s a myth that says that if we are silent and non-disruptive that we are more likely to be successful. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Leadership and lasting change is what we can get when we own our power and our voice.
“Black women are inherently valuable, that our liberation is a necessity, not as an adjunct to somebody else’s may because of our need as human persons for autonomy.”
~The Combahee River Collective Statement
Freedom School will help you
strengthen your voice and practice using your power.
The Specifics:
Think of Freedom School as a primer to social justice, a year-long introductory exploration of the ideas and topics most relevant to understanding and navigating our current social and political landscape.
Once a month the participants of Freedom School will gather for a 90-minute interactive workshop led by Desiree Adaway and Key Jackson. These will be recorded if you can’t attend live. You will also receive additional resources each month to further your learning.
Freedom School consists of four modules, each module is three months long. You can participate in all four or register for specific modules.
Dates & Times
Classes Classes will be held on the last Tuesday of every month from 7:00 pm-8: 30 pm ET.
Dates:1/31, 2/22, 3/29, 4/26, 5/31, 6/28, 7/26, 8/30, 9/27, 10/25, 11/29, 12/1
Enrollment is always open. Sign up only for specific modules or join us for them all.
PRICING
Full Course: $899
Specific modules: $275 for module one plus $275 per additional module. Module one is a prerequisite for all other modules. To inquire about purchasing specific modules email us at info@adawaygroup.com
The Curriculum:
Full Course
Module 1
The Foundations
January, February, March
In module one, you’ll learn what exactly social justice is, how your identities (race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, age, etc.) impact how you see the world, and what it takes to develop a liberatory consciousness. The way we see and experience the world is affected by who we are and the identities we hold. Consider how the identities and the privileges you hold may affect the stories you are exposed to, the experiences you value, and the power you have. This foundation’s work will be based on the teachings of Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and other Black feminist teachers.
Module 2
White Supremacy
April, May, June
In the spring, we’ll be developing your understanding and analysis around the construction of race, whiteness, and white supremacy. We’ll look at the ways in which colonization, religion, capitalism, and democracy have all worked to create the current racial inequities in America. We dig in and examine the social, structural, and global power of whiteness.
Module 3
Specific Issues
July, August, September
We have some new curriculum in 2021. We will dig in and give a deeper analysis to some current social issues affecting society.
The dominant narrative (especially by white women) is to call the police on Black people because they are always seen as deviant, dangerous, or a deadly threat to the larger community. Nationally, calls to divest from the carceral state have shaped much of the political landscape. We know that racism is a system of oppression that is upheld through institutions like our justice, educational, and legal systems that disadvantage communities of color. These systems are rooted in anti-Blackness. Join us as we study anti Blackness, Policing the clothing, hair, and bodies of Black women and race, class, capitalism, and what the invest/divest framework really means.
Module 4
The Politics of Social Movements
October, November, December
Module four’s topics will revolve around desire, pleasure, accountability, and healing as core social movements tools. How do we find our people, care for them, build power and community with them? Many reactionary and destructive acts have been done in the name of getting the work done. How do we become more radically resilient and not replicate systems of harm in our leadership, movements, and communities?
About the Speakers
Desiree Adaway
Desiree has over 25 years of experience creating, leading and managing international, multicultural teams through major organizational changes in over 40 countries. She has crafted and administered partnerships that have secured over $10.5 million in funding from a variety of private and corporate resources.
As the Senior Director of Mobilization for Habitat for Humanity she was responsible for planning the strategy and training for hundreds of membership organizations, totaling more than 50,000 members. She was responsible for the overall strategy and DEI plans for 1,600 US affiliates and one million volunteers globally.
From this experience Desiree knows that if you want to create real and lasting change in the world you can’t expect to get something better if you’re doing the things you’ve always done.
Key Jackson
Key Jackson is a 1st nations/Black Queer radical dreamer who is committed to weaving the Strength of their community into sustainable social change. A Founding member of Black Youth Project 100 New Orleans, Key has spent the past 18 years fighting for Queer, Youth, Educational, Housing, Immigrant and Racial Justice.
Key’s lived experience as a low income, Queer person of color has fueled their desire to educate and move always towards a more equitable reality. Key has co-founded multiple youth centered initiatives and has provided formal as well as informal trainings to thousands of communities across the nation. Key resides in New Orleans with their dog Thunder, and cat Benkole.
Freedom School changed my life in profound ways that reverberate every day, and it’s difficult to convey the impact Desiree has had on my life and work. A true visionary who insists that we invest deeply in ourselves and each other, she makes room for the messy parts, the questions, conversations, and complexity, while marrying analysis and action in ways that truly matter. Desiree embodies integrity, humility, fierce intelligence, deep respect of difference, and an unwavering commitment to creating and nurturing environments where real learning and change happen. I’m so grateful for her work and her heart.
~ Jena Schwartz, Writing Coach