Freedmen's Schoolhouse Dedication Ceremony

The Historic Smithfield Foundation, Inc. on Friday dedicated the restored Freedmen’s Schoolhouse on North Street in the Town Of Smithfield, NC.

The building is believed to be North Carolina’s only remaining schoolhouse for freedmen. The event included a program at nearby First Missionary Baptist Church, followed by tours of the restored schoolhouse. Keynote speaker Crystal R. Sanders, an associate professor of history at Emory University, called on her audience to “never forget that education was a hard-fought thing.”

“Learning to read and write,” she added, “should not simply be thought of as a rite of passage for childhood and adolescence, but rather as an important symbol of freedom.”

Sanders called on the crowd to pay tribute to the school and those who built it by “telling the truth about our past.”

“We honor their work by ensuring that accurate and inclusive history is taught in our schools,” she said.

And that’s not all, Sanders said. “We must demand well-funded public schools because true freedom includes the right to an education,” she said.

Todd Johnson, Heritage Center director and secretary of the Historic Smithfield Foundation, thanked the restoration project’s many supporters, including N.C. Rep. Donna White, who secured state funding for the restoration. Visit the Freedmen's Schoolhouse website. Contact todd.johnson@johnstonnc.gov to arrange a visit to the schoolhouse.