On April 17th, Freedom Fighter Kenneth Salaam came in to visit Friends Select School and spent the day with students and teachers from all divisions. He spoke with high school students for DICE day, met with Middle School Black Student Union, met with Friends Select Head of School, Micheal Gary, had a lunch with the history teachers and Black Student Union faculty, and at end the day, he spoke with 4th grade students as part of Civil Rights unit to follow up with their recent visit to Girard College & Cecil’s People Mural.
Mr. Salaam, also known as “Freedom Smitty”, became a full-time freedom fighter at the age of 16. He was inspired to fight injustice after learning of the assassination of Civil Rights leader Mega Evers. By May 1st, 1965, he had joined the Philadelphia NAACP Youth Council to fight segregation and discrimination at Girard College. Along with other freedom fighters, they camped out outside of Girard College for seven months and seventeen days; there was always someone walking around the 47 acres and the 10-foot-high walls. When discussing his time at Girard College, Mr. Salaam said, “But we live about the land, you know, people took care of us. That’s how we made it…needed something from people…they would give it to us.”
In addition, Mr. Salaam shared about the power of youth and the role of music in the movement. As a member of the Freedom Singers, he helped lead powerful protest songs that were used to lift spirits and keep people going through long nights and tough times. He said that singing was a way to keep people aroused at the marches.
During his visit, Mr. Salaam shared significant memories of sleeping on benches in Rittenhouse Square, being gassed by police officers, and being beaten while handcuffed after a protest at the 30th Street Post Office. Despite these experiences, he never stopped. Even when he was being beaten, he explains, “I’ve never thought about quitting.”
According to Mr. Salaam, the advice he would give to students who want to make a positive difference is the importance of phones. He said, “That’s the powerful weapon right there, that telephone.” He talked about our ability to text and organize things using just our phone, and how we have to fight our own way.
