General Information for Freedom Summer 2023
Over 50 years ago, Berkeley students joined with other university students and civil rights activists from around the country to promote and expand voting rights in Mississippi. “Freedom Summer” remains an iconic moment in the Civil Rights movement, the history of student activism in the U.S., and in the political engagement culture at Berkeley as students returning from Mississippi that summer sparked the Free Speech movement.
In 2023, One Fair Wage, in partnership with the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Public Service Center will be sponsoring a trip to Ohio to provide students with training in social movements and organizing and conducting real-life outreach and organizing work with low-wage workers.
While in Ohio, students will learn from social movement leaders, elected officials, and celebrity activists. Freedom summer interns will also receive training in social movements and organizing from experts in the field like Professor Saru Jayaraman, then conduct real-life outreach and organizing work with low-wage workers. All students who complete the program will receive a Freedom Summer Certificate, demonstrating their knowledge of organizing.
How it works
Freedom Summer is a full-time internship for graduate and undergraduate students. The program provides students with valuable organizing skills and a deeper understanding of social movements in today’s society.
Details
- Freedom Summer 2023 begins on June 1st and ends on July 28th. Interns attend a class on Social Movements and Organizing once a week and will spend 40-50 hours of organizing work per week while in Ohio
- This summer, we are relocating all student interns to Ohio, where students will conduct outreach with low-wage workers in an effort to raise wages. Freedom Summer will provide on-campus housing at various universities in Ohio. Students will be assigned housing in double rooms that are pre-furnished with air conditioning at Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, and Cleveland State University.
- Our program also covers the cost of transportation to and from Ohio, transportation while in Ohio, and all meals.
- Interns receive guidance from both off-site mentors and professors who have years of social justice experience, as well as a supervisor at their site.
Requirements
- Applicants should be students enrolled in or recent graduates of a college or university in the United States.
- All applicants should have an interest in working on social and economic justice issues with a worker-organizing component.
- Applicants are not permitted to take summer classes or have part-time jobs during this program.
- All applications are due on March 31st.
One Fair Wage, in partnership with the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Public Service Center will also be hosting a Freedom Winter program this winter. If you are interested in receiving information to apply to Freedom Winter please come back to this website in the fall for more information.