Miami’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer is underway. Here in IT Services, many of us regularly walk the same paths as the hopeful young volunteers who gathered for orientation in June, 1964. Maybe you’ve even visited the Freedom Summer Memorial, shown at right.

To commemorate Freedom Summer and the part Western College played, IT Services is participating in special 45-minute “Walk with Me” tours at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm on Wednesday, September 17.  This event is the second in our series of  Be Different events that celebrate and honor the diversity in all of us.

The tour begins in front of Clawson Hall, where two guides introduce themselves as Freedom Summer staff members. Along the route, tour guides take on the personas of trainees, revealing the inner thoughts of Freedom Summer volunteers as recorded in letters and diaries. The tour ends at the Freedom Summer memorial, inviting participants to reflect upon the legacy of the civil rights movement. The impact of Freedom Summer hits home, just a few steps away from our offices.

Earlier today you received an invitation to a picnic lunch that will be offered in conjunction with the tours. A meal of hot dogs, chips, drinks, and dessert will be offered on the Boyd Hall lawn. We hope you’ll attend, because sharing food is a great way to bond with each other.

And if you can, please take time for one of the special tours and reflect on what happened here fifty years ago:

…witnessing your courage and your commitment was the experience of a lifetime. I saw belief become commitment and then action. Not just random action, but concerted, well-designed action with a purpose…That’s powerful stuff.

—Phyllis Hoyt, speaking at the 45th Reunion of Freedom Summer, Fall, 2009