The new 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa, is an after-school literacy program inspired by the Freedom Schools of the 1960s civil-rights movement.
Founder Nikole Hannah-Jones sees the long struggle of Waterloo’s Black community for capital and support echoed in many other places. But now, a cadre of Black community leaders have raised funds from around the country for efforts — including the 1619 Freedom School — to make Waterloo more equitable.
“We are at a very pivotal moment,” said Hannah-Jones, a Waterloo native and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
Mary Wilder reads the book “The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist” to fourth- and fifth-grade students at the 1619 Freedom School. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) 
A student jacket hangs on a chair at the 1619 Freedom School. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) 
Books are displayed at the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) 
De’Von Jordan, 9, looks over the shoulder of Ja’myah Avila, 9, as they read “The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist” together at the 1619 Freedom School. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity) 
The exterior of the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa, on Jan. 20, 2022. (Brenna Norman for the Center for Public Integrity)