5 Years of Mississippi MOVE’s Intergenerational Summer Camp at Tougaloo

This summer, Mississippi MOVE did more than host a camp. They continued a tradition — five years strong — of building power, passing the torch, and honoring Black legacy.

Held at the historic Tougaloo College, the 5th Annual Intergenerational Summer Camp marked a powerful chapter in The New Freedom Summer Project, a growing movement reimagining what civic education and cultural organizing look like in Mississippi.

From July 28 to August 2, students, elders, organizers, and creatives from across the state came together to bridge generations, share stories, and activate their collective power. This camp wasn’t just about learning civic skills. It was about living liberation.

Five Years of Freedom: A Legacy in Motion

Launched as part of Mississippi MOVE’s New Freedom Summer Project, the Intergenerational Summer Camp honors the 1964 Freedom Summer by offering today’s youth a living, breathing version of that legacy. Now in its fifth year, the program has grown into a cornerstone of Mississippi’s youth civic engagement movement.

With an intergenerational focus, the camp brings together high school students, college interns, and community elders to connect the wisdom of the past with the tools of the present. The result? A space where civil rights history meets digital storytelling, where marching meets marketing, and where voting rights meet voter strategy.

“It’s our job to make civic engagement cool, creative, and rooted in culture,” said Mac Epps, Executive Director of Mississippi MOVE. “Five years in, we’re seeing young people come back as leaders. That’s the power of consistency and community.”

Skills, Strategy, and Storytelling

Throughout the weeklong experience, young participants were trained in:

Civic engagement and voter education Digital literacy and media production Event organizing and campaign development Mississippi Black history and cultural storytelling

Participants also worked in teams to design community projects they’ll implement back home, spreading the camp’s impact beyond the classroom and into real-life change.

Mentorship from civil rights veterans, media professionals, health advocates, and policy experts made the experience deeply rooted in community and richly relevant to Mississippi’s current landscape.

Blues, Bonds, and Black Joy

The camp concluded with the Blues at the Loo Festival, a celebration of Mississippi culture and resistance featuring live music, food, and community connection. Far more than just a festival, it served as a call to action — reminding attendees that Black joy is resistance, and community is power.

Held on the sacred grounds of Tougaloo College, the event echoed with the sound of liberation and the spirit of legacy.

What’s Next for the Movement?

Now five years in, the Intergenerational Summer Camp is just one piece of Mississippi MOVE’s New Freedom Summer Project, which also includes:

The Ride & Connect transportation and digital literacy program for seniors A youth internship initiative focusing on media, organizing, and heritage Civic partnerships across Mississippi to increase voter participation Creative campaigns that shift narratives and build Black power

Because real movement work doesn’t happen in a moment — it happens in a lifetime.

Why This Matters

Mississippi MOVE’s 5th Annual Intergenerational Summer Camp proves that sustained, culturally-rooted civic education isn’t just possible in Mississippi — it’s thriving. It shows what’s possible when we pass the mic and the baton — from elders to youth, from movement veterans to digital natives.

At Black With No Chaser, we don’t just tell stories. We amplify movements. This is one.

Want to get involved with the New Freedom Summer Project? Visit msmove.org or follow @MississippiMOVE for more.

Visit BWNCshop.com to check out the new Black With No Chaser apparel like the BlackJoy t-shirts!