What is The Freedom Tour?
For the past 30 years, S.H.A.P.E. Community Center has taken youth and elders on The Freedom Tour, a 7-day summer pilgrimage across the Deep South to significant landmarks and historical sites from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The trip seeks to honor the spirit and efforts of the "foot soldiers"--often the young people of their communities--and symbolically re-traces their footsteps, fostering a sense of awareness & connection to Black history & culture.
Freedom Tour 2026: Road to Alabama
This year, we're taking an immersive journey through Alabama's Black Belt, Gulf Coast, and Industrial Heartlands to explore the region's rich historical depths, and understand its unique contributions to Black culture & Civil Rights history.
Summer Freedom Institute
Travelers will become familiar with the region prior to departure by attending weekly classes at S.H.A.P.E.’s Summer Freedom Institute, and work with their group-mates to conduct a community presentation at The Freedom Tour Family Reunion upon their return.
Freedom Institute classes will take place every Friday, from June 8 - July 24 (no class on June 19 or July 3) from 3 pm - 5 pm at S.H.A.P.E. - 3903 Almeda Rd., Houston, TX 77004.
*Travelers who are not participating in S.H.A.P.E.'s Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) may attend via Zoom.
Who should apply?
Anyone ages 11-16 who wants to:
- Discover how valuable & powerful they are--both as individuals and as one of many descendents of Civil Rights warriors!
- Learn about Black music, fashion, relationships, neighborhoods, family life, politics, and culture from the perspectives of Black kids & teens in the 1950s and 1960s--and how racism influenced their everyday lives.
- Travel to new cities, experience new cultures, make new memories, and have a fun summer experience with their peers and elders.
- Commit to a sense of curiosity, community, joy, responsibility, service, and a love for all.
Participation Requirements
- Travelers are permitted only 3 excused absences from Summer Freedom Institute classes.
- Travelers & their Parents/Guardians are required to attend the pre-trip Community Prep Session + Send-Off (6 pm, Friday, July 24) and the Freedom Tour Family Reunion (4 pm, Saturday, August 15).
- Travelers & their Parents/Guardians are required to volunteer for at least one Freedom Tour season fundraiser or community event. See the calendar below.
Deadline
Applications must be submitted by June 30.
For additional information, contact:
Jada F. Smith
Freedom Tour Coordinator
S.H.A.P.E. Community Center
FreedomTour@shape.org
832-656-2654