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Charles E. Cobb Jr.

Charles E. Cobb Jr. is a distinguished journalist, educator and activist. As a field secretary with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) he originated the idea of freedom schools as a part of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project. He began his journalism career in 1974 as a reporter for WHUR Radio in Washington, DC. In 1976 he joined the staff of National Public Radio as a foreign affairs reporter, bringing to that network its first regular coverage of Africa. From 1985 to 1997 Cobb was a National Geographic staff member. He is the coauthor, with civil rights organizer

article

August 25, 2020

Teach This: Voter Registration in a Time of Pandemic and Protests

Illustration of a teacher figure pointing to a slide featured on a pulled down screen that is titled "Voting History." Several shadowed figures sit in the foreground, looking at the displayed information.

Use the video, articles, census data and original research in this discussion guide to talk with students about youth voter registration and turnout in this unprecedented election season.

Topic

Rights & Activism

the moment

Connecting Freedom Summer of 1964 to Today

Young Black organizers who confront oppressive systems have always been met with violence—educators can look at the uprisings of Freedom Summer in 1964 and those in Minneapolis in 2020 for evidence. Despite the pushback they face, Black activists’ work leads to changes in laws and culture. Use these resources to teach about Freedom Summer and highlight how Black people have asserted their agency in efforts to effect policy change in the United States.