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"There was an overwhelming need for betterpublic schoolfacilities for African American children in the American South," says Melissa Stuckey, professor of history atthe school."But there was also a general unwillingness of state and local governments to provide school facilities, to provide appropriate school structures, to pay teachers, to make reasonable academic years where the kids were getting more than a couple months of schooling in between cotton picking and other agricultural pursuits." 2004 photograph of the Cadentown Rosenwald School, Caden Lane, Lexington, Kentucky. (Dean A. Doerrfeld, Prints and Photographs Division) 2004 photograph of the Cadentown Rosenwald School, Caden Lane, Lexington, Kentucky. (Dean A. Doerrfeld, Prints and Photographs Division) Rosenwald schools changed all that. The state-of-the-art facilities were the brainchild of African American educator and author Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and Sears CEOandphilanthropist Julius Rosenwald. About 5,000 Rosenwald schools were built between 1917 and 1932 in 15 southern states. By 1928, [138]one-third of the South's rural Black school children attended Rosenwald Schools. Booker T. Washington portrait. (Harris & Ewing photograph, Prints and Photographs Division) Booker T. Washington portrait. (Harris & Ewing photograph, Prints and Photographs Division) Funding came from the Rosenwald fund, the local school district, and the local African American community that would be served by the school. Before the Rosenwald schools, African American children in the South attended classes in any number of places including churches, living rooms, barns, fields or front yards. "African Americans, in this case, are really being double taxed," says Stuckey. "They're paying for their local taxes that go to support schools that are not of high quality, and most of the money's actually going to the white children, and they're also [paying] into this local fund." What they got for their money werehighquality structures with good ventilation and plenty of windows, the result of a requirement that the building be constructed to catch the most natural light over the course of the day. The schools became community centers with parents, students and community members helping in the maintenance and upkeep. A [139]2009 study of how Rosenwald schools impacted Black achievement found significant improvement in "school attendance, literacy, years of schooling, cognitive test scores, and northern migration." 1917 portrait of Julius Rosenwald. (Harris & Ewing photographs, Prints and Photographs Division) 1917 portrait of Julius Rosenwald. (Harris & Ewing photographs, Prints and Photographs Division) "They lifted the floor of education and thereby lifted the ceiling of educational opportunities for African Americans in the South," says Stuckey. "It's one of those investments that...paid dividends over decades and decades." Elizabeth City State University was a teaching college back in 1921 when the Rosenwald school on campus was built. It was a place where the college's students could practice teaching. The university has received grants to preserve the schoolhouse, which will become a cultural center that houses the stories and artifacts of the students and teachers who attended and taught at Rosenwald schools. "This is an archive that is underground. It's an archive that exists in people's shoe boxes and photo albums, in their closets, [and] under their bed, and we need to gather that archive," says Stuckey, who isoverseeingtheeffort."African American history is often a very fragmentary history because it has not been as carefully preserved as other people's histories." The Rosenwald Practice School circa 1925 (Courtesy Elizabeth City State University Archives) The Rosenwald Practice School circa 1925 (Courtesy Elizabeth City State University Archives) There is a sense of urgency to capture these living histories before it's too late. The National Trust for Historic Preservation estimates that only about 10% of Rosenwald school buildings remain. Thetrust's [140]African American Cultural Heritage Action Fundrecentlyissued a grant to help preserve a Rosenwald school in Kentucky. "They exemplify a social movement in response to a crisis in Black education and the power, across racial lines, to partner and innovate," says Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Educator Booker T. Washington and Sears Roebuck president Julius Rosenwald built schools like grant recipient May's Lick in Maysville, Kentucky, in the early 1900s for African American students in the South. (Courtesy Mays Lick Community Development Board) May's Lick Rosenwald School in Maysville, Kentucky, in the early 1900s. (Courtesy Mays Lick Community Dev. Board) "So,I think the Rosenwald school story is fundamental to the moment that we're in and we can literally look at the blueprint that they created," Leggs says. "This collaborative strategy that required multiple investors to respond to this social crisis provides a lesson for how we might partner today to do better." While the Rosenwald schools closed many decades ago, preserving the structures allows future generations to continue to learn from them. ^(Note: Main photo of Rosenwald Practice School at Elizabeth City State University courtesy of Melissa Stuckey.) Related Stories Grant recipient the Lewis Latimer House Museum, in Flushing, NY, interprets the life of the African American inventor who improved electric lighting and drafted the patent for the telephone. (Courtesy Adrian Sas) Grant recipient the Lewis Latimer House Museum, in Flushing, NY, interprets the life of the African American inventor who improved electric lighting and drafted the patent for the telephone. (Courtesy Adrian Sas) [141]All About America [142]Preservationists Race to Save Black History Sites Before They Vanish Grant will help maintain 27 historic sites that showcase African American culture and contributions to the nation Dora Mekouar By [143]Dora Mekouar Thu, 07/16/2020 - 14:07 A portrait of Omar Ibn Said around the 1850s. (Photo courtesy of Yale University Library) A portrait of Omar Ibn Said around the 1850s. (Photo courtesy of Yale University Library) [144]All About America Approximately one-third of American slaves were Muslim Approximately one-third of American slaves were Muslim Dora Mekouar By [145]Dora Mekouar Tue, 01/29/2019 - 09:33 FILE - In an undated file photo, Ruth Parrington, librarian in the art department of the Chicago Public Library, studies early Sears Roebuck catalogs in the library's collection in Chicago. FILE - In an undated file photo, Ruth Parrington, librarian in the art department of the Chicago Public Library, studies early Sears Roebuck catalogs in the library's collection in Chicago. [146]All About America [147]How Sears Catalog Fought White Supremacists By the late 19th century, slavery was over, but the American South was still rife with discrimination and injustice Dora Mekouar By [148]Dora Mekouar Thu, 10/03/2019 - 14:45 West Africans were barbecuing meat before the transatlantic slave trade brought the cooking method to North America. West Africans were barbecuing meat before the transatlantic slave trade brought the cooking method to North America. [149]All About America [150]How Enslaved Africans Helped Invent American Cuisine You can thank enslaved Africans for one of America's most iconic drinks: Coca-Cola."The base ingredient in Coca-Cola is the kola nut that's indigenous to Africa," says Frederick Opie, professor of history and foodways at Babson College inWellesley, Massachusetts, and the author of several books, including "Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America."Since the 17th century, when Africans were forced into slavery in the New World, they and their'¦ Dora Mekouar By [151]Dora Mekouar Wed, 03/06/2019 - 08:02 (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) [152]Twitter [153]Instagram [154]Facebook [155]YouTube [156]RSS Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search * [157]United States [158]US Politics + [159]Immigration + [160]All About America + [161]Silicon Valley and Technology * World News [162]Africa + [163]The Americas + [164]East Asia Pacific + [165]Europe + [166]Middle East + [167]South & 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