1. Highlander Folk School BY: MAIYA HER CAE 213

2. History  Founded in 1932 by Myles Horton and Don West  Located in Grundy County, Tennessee

3. Purpose  Original mission: to educate “rural and industrial leaders for a new social order”  Focused on labor and adult education  Later became a social justice, civil rights training ground that was nonviolent

4. 1932-1940s  Strove to build progressive labor movements in the South  Among woodcutters, coal miners, government relief workers, textile workers, and farmers in the region  Supported strikes, organizing drives, and trained workers to be leaders in labor unions

5. 1950s-1960s  Changed focus from labor to Civil Rights Movement  Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins and Bernice Robinson developed a citizenship program  Taught African Americans their rights as citizens and promoted basic literacy skills  Mainly focused on school desegregation and voter education/voting rights  Closed in 1961 after the state of Tennessee revoked charter

6. Backlash  In 1951, Highlander was attacked and blamed for creating racial strife  Accused of being a communist training school after photo of Martin Luther King being at the anniversary of the school, spread throughout the South  Tennessee confiscated property

7. Aftermath  Horton opened the Highlander Research and Education Center  Located in Knoxville, Tennessee  Focus turned to economic and social justice  Appalachian People Struggles  Deeply rooted poverty, growing environmental devastation from strip-mining, and outside corporate control of land and resources  Highlander helped develop Southern Appalachian Leadership Training programs (SALT)  Provided training and support to emerging local leaders

8. Present Day  Highlander continued work with local organizations with environmental issues  Creation of Stop the Poisoning programs  Sponsored major workshops on problems caused by declining rural economies in Appalachia and the South  Focus on democratic participation and economic justice  Create educational support for immigrants, youths, and the poor

9. References  http://mlk- kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_hi ghlander_folk_school/%22Highlander http://mlk- kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_hi ghlander_folk_school/%22Highlander  https://1000littlehammers.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/highlander_hi story_screen.pdf https://1000littlehammers.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/highlander_hi story_screen.pdf  http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=630