The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical and conceptual link between Ella Baker's Freedom School model and Paulo Freire's demand for critical education and emancipatory learning. Ella Baker, situated in the daunting environment of the Civil Rights Movement, saw education as a tool for social mobility for Mississippi residents in 1964. Paulo Freire, likewise, demanded that educational changes be made for the social plight of Brazilian citizens. This need for liberating education spanned across decades and is still needed today. Under the leadership of the "Children's Defense Fund®" (CDF), Freedom Schools still exist today as summer literacy programs for youth. This paper will provide a historical overview of the original 1964 Freedom Schools program and a programmatic snapshot of the current "Children's Defense Fund" (CDF) Freedom Schools program. In addition, this paper will explore the academic and social benefits that Freedom Schools offers, while outlining the imperativeness of the program's social action component for students.