Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Danny K Davis (7th District of Illinois)
Legislation Would Honor the Chicago Business Leader and Philanthropist Whose Partnership with Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee Institute, and Black Communities Helped Educate Generations of African American Children across the South.
Washington, D.C. — This month, Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and James E. Clyburn (D-SC) led the House introduction of the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act, legislation to establish a multi-site National Historical Park honoring Julius Rosenwald, the Rosenwald Schools, and one of the most consequential educational and philanthropic partnerships in American history. The bill’s introduction aligns with the anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which the Rosenwald Fund helped fund in its early stages, and with May being Jewish American Heritage Month.
Julius Rosenwald, the son of German-Jewish immigrants, helped build Sears, Roebuck and Company into a retail powerhouse from its base in Chicago. He then used his fortune to expand opportunities for others. During the Jim Crow era, Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington, the Tuskegee Institute, and thousands of Black communities across the South to help build Rosenwald Schools, which educated more than 600,000 African American children and helped narrow the education gap in the South.
The Rosenwald Fund supported institutions and initiatives that shaped American life, including early NAACP legal efforts that helped lead to Brown v. Board of Education, fellowships for African American artists and scholars such as Jacob Lawrence, Marian Anderson, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston Hughes, and support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In Chicago, Rosenwald’s civic legacy includes support for major institutions such as the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and the Museum of Science and Industry.
The Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act would:
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Establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park to commemorate Rosenwald’s life, philanthropy, and partnership with African American communities.
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Preserve representative Rosenwald Schools, including San Domingo School in Maryland, St. George Rosenwald School in South Carolina, and Woodville Rosenwald School in Virginia.
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Create a National Park Service network to connect remaining Rosenwald Schools and related sites nationwide.
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Interpret Rosenwald’s legacy at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site in Alabama.
“Julius Rosenwald’s story is a Chicago story, a civil rights story, a Jewish American story, and an American story,” said Congressman Davis. “From the Sears complex in Chicago to the rural schoolhouses built through the sacrifice and determination of Black communities across the South, this legislation will help ensure that future generations understand how education, philanthropy, interracial cooperation, and community action changed the course of our nation. I am proud to lead this bill to preserve and interpret the legacy of Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools.”
“Julius Rosenwald was a visionary philanthropist whose altruism and philosophy of giving embodied the Jewish concept of tzedakah – social justice and charity to those in need,” said Congressman Steve Cohen. “Decades before Brown v Board of Education overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine, he partnered with African American communities across the South to help build schools for children with limited access to good public education. At one time, one-third of all Black students in the rural South received their education in a Rosenwald School. I am proud to co-lead this bill with Congressmen Davis and Clyburn to preserve Rosenwald’s legacy so that others may learn and be inspired by his story.”
“It is fitting and proper to honor Julius Rosenwald for his enduring legacy of opportunity, education, and community. I am proud to support a historic national park that bears the name of this man who has impacted so many lives,” said Congressman James E. Clyburn. “Julius Rosenwald helped establish and develop thousands of schools for Black children across the segregated South in the early 20th century. Documenting and preserving African American’s rich history and enduring struggle for freedom and liberty are essential in our pursuit of a more perfect Union. Rosenwald’s legacy and contributions will tell the story of struggle and perseverance for years to come.”
“Between 1912 and 1932 Julius Rosenwald partnered first with Booker T Washington and then with African-American communities in 15 southern states to build nearly 5,000 schools for their children who previously had little or no access to education. The two men had one dream, and the communities through their hope, faith, courage, determination, and resilience made that dream a reality. Over 600,000 students attended the schools and were given the opportunity to lead a better life. And they did! This is a remarkable story of how people of different backgrounds and cultures worked together to make our country a better place. It needs to be told in a new National Historical Park.” — Dorothy Canter, President, Campaign to Create Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park
The legislation builds on Rep. Davis’s and Rep. Cohen’s enacted Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools Act, which required the National Park Service to conduct a Special Resource Study of sites associated with Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools. In the Senate, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) champions companion legislation. The bill is supported by more than 200 nonprofit organizations, including national parks, civil rights, African American, Jewish, historic preservation, cultural, educational, museum, synagogue, church, and Rosenwald School preservation organizations.
A summary of the legislation, including supporting organizations, is available HERE.
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