The son of German Jewish immigrants, Julius Rosenwald helped make Sears, Roebuck the retailing powerhouse of the early twentieth century. A visionary philanthropist, he focused on providing educational opportunities for African Americans at all levels, partnering with Booker T. Washington and nearly 5,000 African American communities to build 4,977 Rosenwald Schools in 15 Southern states. The Julius Rosenwald Fund awarded nearly 900 fellowships to talented individuals, two-thirds of whom were African American. Through their accomplishments the Fellows entered multiple professional arenas, demonstrating that when given equal opportunity, African Americans could perform equally with any Americans. Rosenwald’s legacy of investing in education is still bearing dividends.
Progress is being made to create a National Historical Park to commemorate Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools. Join us to explore this fascinating story of what many call the most important initiative to advance Black education in the early 20th century.
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Thank you to Dava Berkman for sponsoring this program!
SPEAKERS
Stephanie Deutsch, author of You Need a Schoolhouse, Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South
Sharon L. Davies, President and CEO, Kettering Foundation
Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources of the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA)
Dorothy Canter, Ph.D., President, Rosenwald Park Campaign