86:. Criticized in the 1960s by black militants for taking a "self-help" approach to racial equality, Freedom House re-examined its mission, and went on to play an increasingly critical role in the struggle for civil rights in Boston, especially during the period of desegregation of Boston's public schools.
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Early programming also focused on strengthening relations between the
African American and Jewish residents of Upper Roxbury. An interracial preschool, one of few in the city, was established and Freedom House participated in a Black-Jewish Roundtable fostering business ties and friendships between
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The initial focus of the organization was on urban renewal; neighborhood improvement programs designed to protect Upper
Roxbury from urban blight began in 1949 when Freedom House helped to organize neighborhood clean-up projects and playground construction. Concerned over the escalating number of
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In the area of education, Freedom House administered
Project Reach, supported by a private donation, which gave scholarship funds for minority students to go to college. Freedom House also provided scholarship counseling. A travel/study program provided scholarships for high school students to
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was court-ordered in Boston in 1974, and in that year, the
Freedom House Institute on Schools and Education was established. The Institute began as a means of information dissemination to African-American families, as well as to ensure the safety of school children being bused to neighborhoods
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Freedom House has often acted as a forum and meeting place for the community, in times of grief as well as in times of celebration. The Center has held galas, fashion shows and tea parties to raise money for causes that it supported, celebrated the anniversaries and birthdays of notables like
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Freedom House's original location was at 151 Humboldt Street in
Roxbury. In 1952, it moved to 14 Crawford Street on the Grove Hall section of Roxbury. On the night of January 31, 1960, a fire destroyed the Crawford Street facility. A rebuilding campaign ensued, and Boston Mayor
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In the area of employment, Freedom House held job fairs, including Boston's first job fair for minorities, and promoted affirmative action. They raised money for college scholarships for black students and for study programs in Africa. They even established a credit union.
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The mission of
Freedom House is to promote economic self-sufficiency and social justice for residents in historically underserved neighborhoods through targeted educational development, increased civic and political engagement and progressive cultural advocacy.
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for the summer. In the years before court-ordered desegregation, Freedom House also raised money to support
Operation Exodus, a voluntary desegregation project that bused predominantly African American students from overcrowded schools in
161:, an African-American U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and held Christmas and Halloween parties for children. More than 500 residents attended a mass meeting at Freedom House after the murder of 16-year-old Daniela Saunders in 1963.
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attempting to block the desegregation order. The
Institute grew to become a locus of community action, offering tutoring and teacher training, and providing a forum for communication between families and city administrators.
78:. The initial goal of Freedom House was to centralize community activism in the fight for neighborhood improvement, good schools, and harmony among racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Roxbury (a neighborhood of
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to predominantly white, underenrolled schools in other parts of Boston. In 1966, Operation Exodus discontinued busing children; the
Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (
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In 1984, Muriel and Otto
Snowden retired as co-directors. A number of directors have served since then; the Executive Director is currently the Snowden's daughter, Gail Snowden.
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Freedom House was founded in 1949 as a center of civil rights and advocacy for Boston's African American community. The founders were the social workers (and married couple)
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bars in the neighborhood, Freedom House led the community in an effort to reduce the number of new and renewed applications for liquor licenses.
168:(Mass. school achievement tests), access to a computer lab, and technology training. Freedom House also works with other organizations and the
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was the first to "buy a brick" to help in this effort. The rebuilt facility opened in 1961 and remains the current home of the organization.
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Edgar J. Driscoll Jr., Globe Staff (1988, October 1). "Muriel Snowden, 72; Cofounder of Freedom House in Roxbury" (Obituary, third edition)
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Currently, Freedom House programs focus on education, technology, and leadership development. Freedom House provides tutoring for the
41:). Freedom House is located in an area sometimes referred to as Grove Hall that lies along Blue Hill Ave. at the border between the
365:, p. 75. Retrieved December 17, 2008, from Boston Globe database via Proquest Massachusetts Newspapers (restricted to subscribers).
272:, p. 2. ( Retrieved December 17, 2008, from Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW) database (restricted to subscribers). (Document ID: 492164411).
134:) began busing Boston children between the city and suburban schools on a voluntary basis. Exodus bused children within the
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In 1996, Freedom House considered merging with other community organizations, although in the end it decided not to do so.
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209:"Freedom House Photographs: Roxbury People, Places and Events 1950-1975," Northeastern University Libraries, 2008.
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are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
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are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
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Over 2,000 photographic images from the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.
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Online exhibit. Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Boston, MA..
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302:"Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids: Collection of Freedom House, Inc., records"
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Miller, Yawu (2000, October 26). "Freedom House joins Black-Jewish Roundtable effort."
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Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Boston, MA.
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Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden papers, 1911-1990 (bulk 1947-1985)
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Nonprofit community-based organization in Roxbury, Massachusetts
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284:"Muriel Snowden, 72; Cofounder of Freedom House in Roxbury"
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For the Washington-based human rights organization, see
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Freedom House, Inc. records, 1941-2004 (bulk 1949-1986)
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was a separate program of urban and suburban exchange.
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to lower the dropout rate in Boston's high schools.
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242:Finding aid for the records of Freedom House
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218:"Muriel Sutherland Snowden" in
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451:Movements for civil rights
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379:Freedom House Photographs
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220:Notable American Women
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207:About Freedom House
37:(a neighborhood of
348:2008-11-23 at the
228:978-0-674-01488-6
194:Official Web Site
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