The Freedom Project’s LEAD Center is located in the Town of Sunflower (population approximately 1000, located roughly 100 miles north of Jackson and 150 miles south of Memphis). Freedom Fellows come from Sunflower and the surrounding towns of Indianola, Moorhead, Ruleville, and Leland.
Despite its cheery name, Sunflower County can be a tough place to grow up. Sunflower has a median family income that is roughly half the national average, while the teenage pregnancy rate is roughly triple the national average, according to the Census Bureau. Local public schools struggle to provide an adequate education. The average ACT score in Sunflower County is 16.3, nearly 25% lower than the national average. Nearly 41% of students will leave high school without earning a diploma. Compounding these already daunting problems is the difficult truth that the Mississippi Delta continues to be one of the most racially segregated and racially charged regions in America.
Despite these obstacles, the community in Sunflower County is a dynamic force primed for change and willing to work hard to create a better future for children. The Freedom Project is a resource for public school students and their families who are motivated to achieve more than their situations have afforded them, and who are willing to do so by striving toward higher education. We are continually working toward creating a corps of academically capable, socially conscious and mentally disciplined young leaders in the Mississippi Delta.
