Equity & Diversity Video

The Fight to Preserve Rosenwald Schools

By Brooke Saias — July 13, 2021 10:50
Jane Carpenter, an alumna of the Scrabble School, discusses her experiences as a student at the Rosenwald school in Castleton, Va.

The story of how Black people, just a handful of years after slavery ended, managed to grow a solid middle class without access to so many of America’s public schools is not well-known. That story involves Black ingenuity, an unusual friendship between a Jewish philanthropist and a conservative Black educator, and a widespread desire among Black parents for their children to be provided the same quality of education as white children.

Aware of the crucial economic role education can play for the descendants of slaves, Julius Rosenwald, a Chicago philanthropist and Sears, Roebuck president, along with Booker T. Washington, the principal of Tuskeegee Institute, worked with Black communities across the south to build more than 5,000 schools for Black children.

This story has been largely washed from our nation’s collective memory but some of those 5,000 school houses that Black communities built and staffed, still stand in plain sight.

Education Week spoke with scholars and national park leaders about the Rosenwald schools’ history and the fight to preserve their legacy.

Read Next

According to The Campaign to Create a Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park, the two-teacher school was developed between 1926-1927 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009. The building is now owned by Cain’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, which sits adjacent to it.
The Russell School (also known as Cain’s School), a Rosenwald school in Durham, N.C., pictured on Feb. 17, 2021.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week

Brooke Saias is a video producer for Education Week, working to tell stories about the impact of education on communities.

Video

Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Building a Safe Space for Students
For many students, school is the one place where their needs are consistently met. One teacher explains how he ensures that’s the case.
3:55
A kindergarten teacher addresses her class.
A kindergarten teacher addresses her class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Federal Video Linda McMahon: 5 Things to Know About Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former pro-wrestling CEO Linda McMahon to lead the education department.
1 min read
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Teach Kindness Through Words and Actions
This 4th grade teacher creates lessons and projects around showing kindness.
2:49
Federal Video Trump’s Pledge to Ax the Education Department: Can He Do That?
Trump would need approval from Congress to dismantle the Education Department or change federal education policy.
1 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Evan Vucci/AP