‘It’s a piece of history’: New bus wrap brings story of Freedom Summer around Butler County
Miami University, BCRTA collaborate to spotlight Western College’s role in quest for voting rights
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Published
From left to right, Jerome Conley, dean of University Libraries; University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford; Miami President Gregory Crawford; Matthew Dutkevicz, executive director of the Butler County Regional Transit Authority; Miami student Edward Johnson; Pheetta Wilkinson, 1976 graduate of Western College for Women; Jacqueline Johnson, interim department head for the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives; Debbie Baker Spaeth, director of Special Projects; John Rizzo, director of Creative Strategy and Brand Experience. (Photo by Scott Kissell)
‘It’s a piece of history’: New bus wrap brings story of Freedom Summer around Butler County
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Published
Much of Edward Johnson’s time at Miami University has centered around history.
A senior Integrated Social Studies Education major, Johnson’s first assignment as a Miami student was about the Freedom Summer of 1964. So, Tuesday afternoon represented a full circle moment for Johnson. He closed the round of speakers during the dedication of a new bus wrap that tells the story of Freedom Summer and the role played by the Western College for Women in the quest for voting rights.
“I find it really important that we preserve history, and that’s what this bus is doing,” Johnson said in the Heritage Room at Shriver Center. “This bus is more than a vehicle. It’s more than transportation. It's a piece of history.”
Johnson was among those who gave remarks at an event commemorating the collaboration between Miami and the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA). Following the ceremony, attendees went outside for a view of the bus and a tour of its interior, which features panels detailing the history of the Freedom Summer trainings.
For two weeks in June 1964, 800 participants traveled to the Western College campus, which is now a part of Miami, and trained to register Black voters in the South.
Pheetta Wilkinson, a 1976 alumna of Western College, talked of former Western dean of students Phyllis Hoyt, whose book “Where the Peonies Bloomed: a Memoir of My Years at Western College” reflected on Freedom Summer.
“On behalf of Western alumnae, thank you to Miami University and BCRTA for honoring these courageous young student volunteers who helped shape history, beginning right here on the Western campus,” Wilkinson said.
Miami dedicated its Freedom Summer memorial on Western campus in 2000 to honor the memories of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, three civil rights workers who were murdered in Mississippi while registering Black voters.
In 2018, the university also established the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award, given to inaugural recipient U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who played a key role in organizing voter registration efforts during Freedom Summer.
Jacqueline Johnson, interim department head for the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives, worked closely with Debbie Baker Spaeth, director of Special Projects in the Office of Alumni Relations; Shawn Cowan, director of Customer Care and Public Engagement for BCRTA; and Miami’s University Communications and Marketing team to provide the bus design.
The bus, which has routes around Butler County, made its debut in June during the Hamilton Juneteenth celebration.
“Everywhere it goes, it's going to carry this important piece of local history with it,” said Matthew Dutkevicz, executive director of BCRTA.
“Together, we’re ensuring that the story of Freedom Summer doesn’t stay in the archives. It’s going to travel the streets, meet people where they are, and inspire the next generation. Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this. We’re truly honored to be able to help bring that story and be a partner.”
Jerome Conley, dean of University Libraries, said he hopes the bus will give people insight into what Freedom Summer represented, and he thanked Dutkevicz, the BCRTA board, and Miami President Gregory Crawford.
“We celebrate everyone who was part of this occasion,” Conley said.
John Rizzo, Miami’s director of Creative Strategy and Brand Experience, spoke about the process behind designing the bus wrap and the storytelling of the interior panels.
Paneling inside the bus includes the topics “Celebrating the right to vote,” “History in Our Backyard,” “Freedom Summer,” “A Safe Haven for Training,” “Sparking Change,” “A Lasting Impact,” and “Honoring Their Legacy.”
“We’re happy that we’re entrusted to be able to take part and try to bring this to life a little bit for everyone else,” Rizzo said.
With plans to become a teacher after graduating, Johnson hopes that future generations will benefit from the story of Freedom Summer.
“I want to remind students that their voices matter,” Johnson said.
A senior Integrated Social Studies Education major, Johnson’s first assignment as a Miami student was about the Freedom Summer of 1964. So, Tuesday afternoon represented a full circle moment for Johnson. He closed the round of speakers during the dedication of a new bus wrap that tells the story of Freedom Summer and the role played by the Western College for Women in the quest for voting rights.
“I find it really important that we preserve history, and that’s what this bus is doing,” Johnson said in the Heritage Room at Shriver Center. “This bus is more than a vehicle. It’s more than transportation. It's a piece of history.”
Johnson was among those who gave remarks at an event commemorating the collaboration between Miami and the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA). Following the ceremony, attendees went outside for a view of the bus and a tour of its interior, which features panels detailing the history of the Freedom Summer trainings.
For two weeks in June 1964, 800 participants traveled to the Western College campus, which is now a part of Miami, and trained to register Black voters in the South.
Pheetta Wilkinson, a 1976 alumna of Western College, talked of former Western dean of students Phyllis Hoyt, whose book “Where the Peonies Bloomed: a Memoir of My Years at Western College” reflected on Freedom Summer.
“On behalf of Western alumnae, thank you to Miami University and BCRTA for honoring these courageous young student volunteers who helped shape history, beginning right here on the Western campus,” Wilkinson said.
Miami dedicated its Freedom Summer memorial on Western campus in 2000 to honor the memories of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, three civil rights workers who were murdered in Mississippi while registering Black voters.
In 2018, the university also established the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award, given to inaugural recipient U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who played a key role in organizing voter registration efforts during Freedom Summer.
Jacqueline Johnson, interim department head for the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives, worked closely with Debbie Baker Spaeth, director of Special Projects in the Office of Alumni Relations; Shawn Cowan, director of Customer Care and Public Engagement for BCRTA; and Miami’s University Communications and Marketing team to provide the bus design.
The bus, which has routes around Butler County, made its debut in June during the Hamilton Juneteenth celebration.
“Everywhere it goes, it's going to carry this important piece of local history with it,” said Matthew Dutkevicz, executive director of BCRTA.
“Together, we’re ensuring that the story of Freedom Summer doesn’t stay in the archives. It’s going to travel the streets, meet people where they are, and inspire the next generation. Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this. We’re truly honored to be able to help bring that story and be a partner.”
Jerome Conley, dean of University Libraries, said he hopes the bus will give people insight into what Freedom Summer represented, and he thanked Dutkevicz, the BCRTA board, and Miami President Gregory Crawford.
“We celebrate everyone who was part of this occasion,” Conley said.
John Rizzo, Miami’s director of Creative Strategy and Brand Experience, spoke about the process behind designing the bus wrap and the storytelling of the interior panels.
Paneling inside the bus includes the topics “Celebrating the right to vote,” “History in Our Backyard,” “Freedom Summer,” “A Safe Haven for Training,” “Sparking Change,” “A Lasting Impact,” and “Honoring Their Legacy.”
“We’re happy that we’re entrusted to be able to take part and try to bring this to life a little bit for everyone else,” Rizzo said.
With plans to become a teacher after graduating, Johnson hopes that future generations will benefit from the story of Freedom Summer.
“I want to remind students that their voices matter,” Johnson said.
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.
