Leading for Liberation

In the spring of 2018, I knew if I wanted to stay in Evanston for the summer, I would need a job. So, I asked Reverend. Dr. Reginald Blount, my advisor, about opportunities to work with children and education. Unbeknownst to me, he serves as an executive director of the Garrett-Evanston CDF Freedom Schools®. They were looking to hire servant leader interns (SLIs) to teach a group of elementary or middle school students for six weeks the upcoming summer. I had never heard of CDF Freedom Schools® nor the Children Defense Fund (CDF), but I applied for the job.

After being hired, I was required to attend National Training in Knoxville, Tennessee. Joining thousands of young adults from across the United States to learn how to facilitate the CDF Freedom Schools® model was electrifying and life-changing. My first national training experience was life-changing because I caught “the Freedom School bug.”

During the last five years, my commitment evolved. In the summer of 2019, I served as the site coordinator at the Garrett-Evanston CDF Freedom School® and was responsible for hiring SLIs, coordinating on-site training, processing applications for each student (affectionately called “Scholars”), managing dayto-day operations, and supporting SLIs with any curricular needs.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, the executive directors chose to spend this time doing an assessment on the progress and impact of the CDF Freedom School® throughout its first five years. This research project involved interviewing parents, community partners, and former SLIs. As a member of this research team, I learned about the many ways this program has changed lives, particularly the lives of children and families. After taking a full-time job at the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, I had to shift my involvement with the program. For the last year, I have worked as a consultant to the GarrettEvanston CDF Freedom School® to re-establish relationships with our community partners and served as a liaison to the District 65 Board of Education. In March, I will attend my first CDF/Garrett Partnership Advisory Board meeting as a board member.

Serving the Garrett-Evanston CDF Freedom Schools® has been rewarding, especially seeing the growth and development in the scholars. Some start out shy but leave with confidence in their voices as leaders. Others begin the program filled with confidence in their literacy skills but learn through our “step up, step back” community covenant that they do not have to speak first or be most heard in the classroom. Our scholars learn how to learn together, encourage one another, resolve conflict, and thrive as a CDF Freedom School® community.

There were also challenges. It was challenging to hear about some of the personal hardships our scholars faced due to issues within their family or community. When I was site coordinator, I ensured the SLIs practiced active listening, had compassion, maintained a clean space, and kept our scholars safe. We practiced forms of pedagogy and classroom management techniques that underscored the importance of EMPSS (emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual safety).

My Freedom Schools experiences enhanced my theological education by introducing me to a Christianinfluenced educational paradigm that was successfully implemented in ecclesial, educational, community-based, and correctional facility contexts. I learned how to embody liberative teaching practices to facilitate a culturally informed curriculum that helped scholars embrace many of the same virtues I was preaching about in youth church on Sunday. CDF Freedom Schools® showed me how to approach Christian education more creatively and intentionally. In summary, my CDF Freedom Schools® experience made me a better educator, pastor, and child advocate.

Gina A.S. Robinson is a native of Georgia, who has lived in Evanston for five years. She currently works as associate director for the Wabash Center for Teaching in Theology and Religion. She will receive her Ph.D. in Christian Education from Garrett-Evangelical this May.