Dr. Freeman's work displays ways to identify and
leverage education as spaces for advocacy and activism.
"Whatever you are committed to, you have to be a student of it."
Dr. sydney Freeman Jr.
Introduction
Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr. is full professor of Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Idaho. In 2021, Dr. Freeman became the first African American Descendent of Slaves man to earn the rank of full professor at the University of Idaho. Dr. Freeman achieved this with incredible speed in just five years and seven months and at the age of 36 (the average faculty age being 55). He recently served as a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania to assist with an assessment of diversity initiatives for faculty and to develop a symposium regarding institutional policies to support, retain, and advance mid-career faculty of color.
Dr. Freeman and I met during my senior year at the University of Idaho. I was studying contemporary American history and was eager to engage with research. Dr. Freeman was leading a project on the first African American man to receive a doctoral degree of theology within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination and one of the first Black persons to earn the degree from the University of Southern California, Dr. Owen A. Troy Sr. I supported his research through oral history interviews and together produced an article and exhibition of the life and accomplishments of Dr. Troy. Dr. Freeman's research offered great opportunity and exposure, and since, has provided incredible inspiration.
Early Education and Undergraduate Years
Dr. Freeman was raised in the Seventh-Adventist religious denomination and community. Dr. Freeman grew up attending Seventh-Day Adventist Christian institutions from pre-kindergarten through his undergraduate degree, with the exception of fifth grade where he attended a public school in southern New Jersey. When he was 14, he attended one of four historically Black boarding schools in the county, located in Pennsylvania, the Pine Forge Academy. Pine Forge Academy was roughly one hour west from the rest of his family and is where his mother also attended secondary school. During his years at Pine Forge, he remembered the independence from moving away from his family but reflected on the substantial community and support he experienced from the school and staff. As he approached graduation and concluded his time at Pine Forge, he decided to attend Oakwood University.
Dr. Freeman attended Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama for his undergraduate degree. Oakwood University is an historically Black, Seventh-Day Adventist institution and is where Dr. Freeman attributes substantial exposure and influence into his activist and, specifically, academic activism work. Dr. Freeman received a degree in interdisciplinary studies as his interests ranged from gospel singing, business, and Christian film and movie making. He completed his undergraduate degree in four years and had an array of credits that accumulated a well-rounded set of skills and interests. Dr. Freeman described this wide variety of knowledge as fluency in various “disciplinary languages." Dr. Freeman participated in student government, formed an on-campus organization named the Progressive Black Caucus, and advocated for innovative systems to improve higher education such as creating academic degree audits. Dr. Freeman invested in community organizations and forged relationships to foster personal and professional development. Dr. Freeman had a natural interest in leadership development and coordinated the first lecture series on Oakwood’s campus with the Phi Beta Lambda business fraternity and the Progressive Black Caucus. Dr. Freeman also founded and coordinated the Presidential Fitness Challenge. This was an event that he led to transition to become an alumni fundraiser event to create additional scholarships for students.
During Dr. Freeman’s senior year at Oakwood University, the President of the University invited him to attend a Board of Trustees meeting. Dr. Freeman remembers this as a pivotal moment in his interest in higher education administration and academic activism. The Board of Trustees meetings at private institutions, such as Oakwood University, usually administers a closed-door policy. This means administrator meetings are usually held privately and restrict public access. This invitation was a unique opportunity for a non-student government member to access this space. During the meeting, Dr. Freeman was moved by the facilitation of the President specifically how a leadership vision was presented and pursued in a higher education setting. Dr. Freeman stated “seeing how the sausage” was made established a deep interest in higher education, student affairs, and leadership development. In addition, Dr. Freeman noted the importance of the "opportunity of exposure" and how this one invitation and space changed his professional and life trajectory forever.
Dr. Freeman established residency in Alabama and pursued a masters and doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from Auburn University. Dr. Freeman noted his activism during his undergraduate years at a historically Black institution looked different than his time in graduate school at a predominantly white institution. A pivotal relationship during his doctoral degree was with the first female Dean of the College of Education at Auburn University who was also his dissertation chair, Frances Kochan. Dr. Freeman credited Dr. Kochan for providing critical information on how to navigate higher education, specifically regarding how to become a faculty member.
Academic Activism
Dr. Freeman defines activism as fighting for something you believe in. He identified himself as an activist, however emphasized his passion for "academic activism." Dr. Freeman stated that education is a form of activism as “knowledge is power.” Dr. Freeman approaches activism with a “big picture” mindset. In 2015, he joined the University of Idaho as an associate professor without tenure and reflected on his academic activism over the past seven-plus years. Dr. Freeman stated, “I often think about what do I want to see for the Black community at Idaho?” Through this frame and intentional formation of partnerships, Dr. Freeman helped to establish the Black Lives Matter speaker series, the Black Faculty and Staff Association, the Black History Research Lab, and is the co-founder of the Africana Studies academic program.
Embedded within these accomplishments is Dr. Freeman's passion for the “Swiss army knife” of skills central to academic activism. Rooted in his interdisciplinary "fluency" and accomplishments during his undergraduate studies, Dr. Freeman invests and employs a variety of tactics required for academic activism. Dr. Freeman identified three key aspects including; historical knowledge, community partnerships, and leadership development. Dr. Freeman emphasized the importance of activism being grounded in history. He stated, “… one of the mistakes in individuals is wanting to fight against something but not having a foundation to fight against it.” Dr. Freeman provided an example of looking to support women faculty members. He encouraged activists to consider who the first female faculty member was and what women’s groups are (or have previously been) on campus. He emphasized that through historical discovery of previous representation or groups, asks for “re-instating” organizations to higher education administration is powerful. He stated, “… whatever you are committed to, you have to be a student of it.” Next, Dr. Freeman emphasized partnerships and relationships to bolster academic activism. He first highlighted relationships with various on campus student groups. These partnerships provide diverse perspectives and robust support to communicate theories of action to administrators of higher education. Secondly, he encouraged forging relationships with administrators, particularly those who are relevant to the desired change, such as the institution’s President. Fostering these connections and establishing partnerships are an important aspect of activist work. Lastly, he emphasized the importance of leadership development and mentorship. Dr. Freeman noted that leadership development should, at its core, be intentional. Dr. Freeman stated, “For me, mentoring is a form of activism.” He emphasized that leadership should model the values that are being fought for and should prioritize transparency. This transparency and accountability fosters honest, trusting relationships to better inform, shape, and pursue the goals and subsequent actions. Dr. Freeman also emphasized the importance of investing in future activists. He noted knowing when to step back and invest in another activist to encourage sustainability beyond your own work and capacity.
Activism in Action
Dr. Freeman considered his past few years working at the University of Idaho. His pursuit of tenure and full professorship was both rewarding and incredibly tough. He stated, “To be the first is not easy, you are trailblazing and to do it authentically is hard." He reflected on his work last year establishing the Black History Research Lab. Dr. Freeman was motivated to encourage Black students, faculty, and staff to find a sense of place and space on the campus. He was directed by the question, “Where do I fit in here? Specifically in the history here?” Dr. Freeman forged relationships with the Department of History to explore what the history of Black students, faculty, and staff was at the University of Idaho. He invited students to support this historical research and developed into a larger, ongoing project. Soon after this work began, the murder of George Floyd occurred and ignited nationwide protests in support of Black Lives Matter. Dr. Freeman and several of his partnerships worked together to present to the University’s administration several ways they could actively show their support. The University responded and funded a few of these initiatives, one expanding into the Black Research Lab. Further, Dr. Freeman leveraged his institutional knowledge of research initiatives such as grants for humanities and social sciences and pitched programs to center and support Black history and identity. When he presented these initiatives, Dr. Freeman noted the importance of the broader context, “Idaho although has been more conservative, it was more radicalized and activated regarding the far-right fringe. The state legislatures essentially were saying we shouldn’t teach Black history or critical race theory.” He continued, “There were those who had good will and wanted to do something… (this is a place) in Idaho that want to do something but don’t know what to do and want to support or show African Americans that they matter but don’t necessarily want to lead that.” Dr. Freeman’s academic activism, partnerships, and acute broader context leveraged resources to establish representative programs and lead research in a critical time at the University of Idaho. He is currently working on drafting the final reports from a few of these projects and hopes to publish on a peer reviewed online source and encourage additional lines of research for academic activism.
Dr. Freeman shared one additional story that was central to his academic activism. He stated, “One of the most important aspects of my academic activism came out of my experiences with the tenure process.” In 2018, he was entering his third year performance review and faced resistance from his senior colleges regarding earning tenure. This resistance was also reflected in the wider review process for his tenure review. He noted that the evaluations were heavily defined by institutions and people with much larger resources than the University of Idaho. These standards were central to his review for his application for tenure and felt it impacted colleagues' perceptions of academic “accomplishments”. He stated that this experience made him sensitive to the fact that evaluations were not necessarily based on the work you do but were also subjective to how well you “fit”, or do not fit, within the wider academic culture. He felt these evaluation questions were unfair to ask and he ultimately challenged the language used by the University and evaluation process. The language was eliminated the following year and was permanently eliminated from all future tenure reviews, evaluations, and promotions across the University. Dr. Freeman connected this advocacy to his wider interests of academic activism in higher education, “That incident and others informed my advocacy around fighting for women and people of color when I serve on evaluation committees. And I have fought for equitable policies around time to promotion to full professor and language around faculty job evaluations.”
Foundations for Academic Activists
A driving aspect of Dr. Freeman's academic and personal passions is to expand and support academics with similar goals. Dr. Freeman collaborated with a colleague, Dr. Jessica Samuels, previously a staff member at the University of Idaho to reflect and identify essential elements of his success working to expand justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of Idaho and higher education broadly.
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Dr. Freeman and Dr. Samuels emphasized investment, patience, and longevity for impact. Dr. Freeman's seven-plus years at the University of Idaho has established a consistent presence, built influence, and garnered capital required for pursuing equity and change.
Longevity
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Dr. Freeman noted his proactive effort in participating in academic institution's administrative processes including the hiring procedures for institutional leadership. This effort included participating on the committee seeking the University's current President. This opportunity fostered a space for one-on-one connection with potential candidates, institutional decision makers, and the selected candidate to garner relationships and establish respect with the administrative office.
Leadership & Administration
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Dr. Samuel's noted Dr. Freeman's prowess and power in his academic quality and research contributions to corroborate his efforts. Dr. Freeman noted the research publication expectations in his college is roughly two peer-reviewed articles peer year. Dr. Freeman averages around six peer-reviewed articles per year as well as hosts a prominent social media presence. This consistency of quality and quantity of work builds attention, momentum, and reliability of his work and promises.
Quality Work
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Dr. Freeman noted his honest and critical perspective of academic institutions, however emphasized his growth mindset and prioritizes positive relationship building. Dr. Freeman is committed to emphasizing academic institutions as places of limitless potential and anchors his efforts in growth opportunities.
Growth Mindset
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Dr. Freeman reflected on the importance of communication and framing of equity work. Dr. Freeman shared intentional ways he communicates his goals to leadership. Dr. Freeman frames these complex issues in a way that is palatable and works to find mutually benefit all parties and particularly, support students. Dr. Freeman noted, "I always try to keep my ask simple, no more than three items and say it in a memorable way."
Strategic Framing
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Dr. Freeman emphasized the value of relationships, strategic endorsements, and confidence in his own identity. Dr. Freeman has honed relationships within the institution and higher education across the country. Dr. Freeman noted the importance of these endorsements and relationships, "So, for instance when I use language in speeches and writing that would generally cause people to be turned off within the community (i.e. racism, revolution, abolition, sovereignty) it can be perceived as less threatening." Secondly, Dr. Freeman concludes on the respect he has built through embracing his identity, "I am unapologetically Black. I don't try to assimilate in keyways (i.e. speech pattern, dress, etc.). I think that people respect that I am comfortable in my own skin."
Identity & Relationships
Advice for Academic Activists
Dr. Freeman encouraged academic activists to live without regret and push to pursue their fullest potential. He encouraged that even if activists do not feel that they have all the pieces together, that it is still important to pursue and "do." Additionally, he emphasized the importance of care. He stated, “I think it's important when we are talking about activism it's important to talk about the importance of care. Not necessarily self-care but community care. How does that community come together to support one another?” He hopes activists and allies can prioritize assuming the best in each other to be able to think about the community as a whole. Additionally, spiritual practice is a piece of his identity and activism. He encouraged activists to find something that roots their activism and identity, whatever that may be for each individual. Dr. Freeman also stated that he does not support the notion that “there is not success without a successor.” He acknowledged the intent, although believes that even if an initiative happens and concludes, that there is still success in that feat. Therefore, he asserted that fear should not thwart efforts to start advocacy work. Dr. Freeman’s concluding desires included that everyone who wants to go to college should be able to go, access representative resources, and reach their full potential.