2016

In the landscape of American education, few stories are as inspiring—or as overlooked—as the story of the Rosenwald Schools. At a time when access to quality education in the rural South was deeply unequal, businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald partnered with visionary educator Booker T. Washington to create a program that would forever change the future of thousands of African American children. Their efforts built nearly 5,000 schools across the South, many of them in isolated, rural communities where educational opportunity had been intentionally denied for generations. Today, as conversations about equity, access, and community-driven development continue across the nation, the Rosenwald legacy stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when philanthropy, community ...