"Spell Freedom" | Reviewed by Bill Schwab

Elaine Weiss has written a well-researched, comprehensive account of the underground schools established in the South during the latter half of the 1950s. These covert schools were designed to prepare Black southerners for the voter registration literacy test devised to suppress their voting rights.

The 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education allegedly abolished the "separate but equal" doctrine of the Jim Crow laws, which had been allowed to thrive since the late 1800s. However, efforts at the disenfranchisement of Black citizens continued and were amplified.

  Septima Clark, the daughter of an enslaved man, and Esau Jenkins, a local businessman and bus driver, visited Tennessee's Highlander Folk School, founded by white southerners Myles and Zilphia Horton. The center's focus was on social change. Clark, Jenkins, and the Hortons shared a common vision of teaching Black nonreaders enough words to sign their names so they could register to vote, read ballots, and cast their votes.

Bernice Robinson, a beautician, eventually joined this foursome, and they launched the Citizenship School project together. The classroom was an improvised space, hidden from view, at the back of a rural grocery store. “We planned the grocery store to fool white people. We didn't want them to know that we had a school back there," Clark said.  

The underground movement grew rapidly, and by the time the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law, the secret effort had established more than 900 citizenship schools. Across the South, tens of thousands of Black citizens learned to read, write, and demand equal citizenship with whites.

The Citizen School project inspired some of its students to become activists. They were trained in methods of resistance, community organizing, and civics education. Many of those educated by the underground schools became the foundation of the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called Septima Clark "Mother of the Movement."

Many of the high-profile civil rights leaders are mentioned throughout the narrative. Weiss, however, dwells on the movement's unsung heroes. She focuses on the humble people who risked their lives and the safety of their families for the right to vote.  The talented author recounts the victories and setbacks of a band of resolute and resilient freedom fighters who quietly led behind the scenes. 

"Spell Freedom" illustrates white and Black people working together, seeking "liberty and justice for all." The narrative displays the power of a community of like-minded people. The nonfiction book contributes to the canon of histories that depict the era from the 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. “Spell Freedom” offers a unique perspective on U.S. history and serves as a much-needed wake-up call to the ongoing efforts to suppress voter turnout in the U.S. today. Educators, historians, and those interested in social change tactics will find this book especially compelling.

About the author: Weiss is an award-winning journalist, author, and public speaker. In addition to “Spell Freedom,” she is the author of “The Women's Hour” and “Fruits of Victory.”

Buy the Book.