City Officials Rename Street at Girard College Ceremony

Last Friday, GFS fourth grade students experienced the fruits of their activism at a street renaming ceremony to honor the Freedom Fighters who led the push in the 1960s to desegregate Girard College in Philadelphia. 

The seeds of their quest were planted last spring, when Kenn Salaam, aka Freedom Smitty, shared his experiences as a Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighter with the Lower School at an assembly. Salaam dropped out of school at age 16 to protest for the desegregation of Girard College. After the success of the protest, he continued to travel the country, fighting for the rights of Black people, working with Civil Rights activists like Fannie Lou Hamer, Stokley Charmichael, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Students were deeply moved, said third grade teacher Andrea L’Tainen. 

“Being able to hear other peoples’ stories, understand the hardships they've been through, and then think about what that was like helped the students understand the sacrifice that Salaam and others made,” said L’Tainen. 

As the class reflected on Salaam’s visit, and how best to thank him, they were inspired to find a way to honor Salaam and the legacy of the Freedom Fighters. Under the guidance of L’Tainen and GFS Lower School Learning Coach Diana Gomez, they landed on a commemoration that would echo Salaam’s activism and raise visibility about the Freedom Fighters work. Students would lobby the city to rename a street lining Girard College’s campus for the civil rights activists: Freedom Fighters Way. Adults aided the effort by organizing petitions among key constituents. 

“We hope many who pass this street will ask, ‘Who are the "Freedom Fighters?’ and learn about their contributions to rights, education, and freedom for all people,” said Gomez.

With students in the midst of their persuasive writing unit, this was the perfect opportunity to learn by doing, and make a real-life impact in the process. They organized a letter-writing campaign to City Councilman Jeffery Young, whose district includes Girard College. As they hand-wrote their letters, students were encouraged to think on what they learned from Salaam, and use transitions, specific examples, and supporting evidence to make their case. 

Thanks to the students’ campaign and the neighborhood petitions, City Council passed the resolution to change the name of North College Avenue to Freedom Fighters Way this summer, setting an official renaming ceremony for October 4. 

As city leaders unveiled the street’s new sign, GFS students held up posters they created using the same messages activists used in the original march: “Freedom Now,” “We Shall Overcome, and “Stop Segregation.” GFS parents, teachers, and students then joined Girard students and teachers to reenact the march like the Freedom Fighters. Nikki Jett-El ’10, who works at Girard College as Senior Manager of Campus Experiences, was also in attendance. 

“We are thrilled that the children had an opportunity to learn that their voices and their writing matter,” said L’Tainen.

“They got to see how civic processes can be utilized for the good of citizens, that people can join together in community to act for justice, and that one of our charges is to stand up for others,” said Gomez.