Zinn's involvement included helping develop the curriculum for the Freedom Schools. Zinn was also concerned that bringing 1,000 college students to Mississippi to work as civil rights activists could lead to violence and killings. As a consequence, Zinn recommended approaching Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett and President Lyndon Johnson to request protection for the young civil rights volunteers. Protection was not forthcoming. Planning for the summer went forward under the umbrella of SNCC, the Congress of Racial Equality ("CORE") and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO").