Effortstopreservethe legacyofRosenwald schoolsilluminatehow family-school-community partnershipsstrengthen studentsandcommunities
Working Together for All
AidaRogersThey’rescatteredaboutnow,mostwrecked,some restored Andmanyarelonggone Butforthe familiestheyserved,theRosenwaldschools signaledhopeforabetterfuture Builtbetween1912and1923forBlackchildrenin theAmericanSouth,theschoolsthrummedwithactivityfor entirecommunities About5,000schools,teacheragesand industrialshopswerebuiltin15states–450inSouth Carolina Beforetheirestablishment,educationforBlacks washardtoget Systemicracismandsubsequent segregationmadeittoocostly.
“Youonlyhadwhatyoucouldbuild,andBlackfolksweren’t gettinganymoney,”recallsBishopFrederickCalhounJames inRosenwaldSchoolsofSouthCarolina,anoralhistory exhibitattheUniversityofSouthCarolinaLibraries.“Youhad topaytheteachers Youhadtopayforeverythingifyou wantedtogetanyeducation Thestatedidn’tgiveyou anything”
PreviouslyBlackstudentsweretaughtin churches,fieldsandoldhouses.Inthe 18thand19thcenturies,itwasacrimefor themtobetaughtatall Thosecaught teachingcouldbeputinprisonand beaten,Jamessaysintheoralhistory
“Sowhatwasworsethanevenshowing hatred,whenyougetpeoplewhosat downandrationallydecidedina legislature[thatgettinganeducation wasacrime],”Jamessays.“Ifyoureally thinkaboutthat,that’soneoftheworst things,Ithink”
James,now101,attendedHowardJunior HighinProsperity,aRosenwaldschool.He laterearnedabachelor’sdegreefrom AllenUniversityinColumbiaandaMaster ofDivinitydegreefromHowardUniversity inWashington,D.C.
Pastor,professor,civilrightsleaderand friendofPresidentBillClintonandMartin LutherKing,Jr,JamesbecamePresiding BishopoftheAMEChurchinSouthAfrica, Lesotho,Botswana,Swaziland,Namibia andMozambiquein1972 Establishing schoolsinthosecountriesisoneofhis manyaccomplishments.Ashesaysin theoralhistory,hisfirstteachers preparedhimwell:
“Thesewerecaringpeopleaboutthe profession Theywereconscientious, whichisamuchbetterwordtodescribe whatIhaveinmymindaboutthem They wereconscientiousabouttheirprofession andtheyconsideredtheirprofessiona successwhenyoungpeoplelearnedand developed.AndIthinkthattherewasjust asmuchconcernaboutdevelopmentas therewasaboutlearning.”
Building an education: In service from 1925 to 1954, Howard Junior High in Prosperity was one of 26 built in Newberry County. It fulfilled Julius Rosenwald’s desire to make education accessible in rural areas. Rosenwald schools were constructed using various standard plans; one signature is an array of long, narrow windows. Howard is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo courtesy of South Carolina Department of Archives and History.Unexpected partnership
Rosenwaldschoolsweretheresultofthe unexpectedpartnershipofJewish businessmanJuliusRosenwaldof ChicagoandBlackeducatorBookerT. Washington,founderofTuskegeeInstitute inAlabama Theywerebuiltusingstate andcountyeducationtaxesandseed moneyfromRosenwald’sfoundation CEO ofSears,RobuckandCo,Rosenwaldwas disturbedbytheplightofsouthernBlacks; havingexperiencedantisemitism,he identifiedwiththeirpersecution.After readingWashington’sautobiography andtouringAlabamawithhim, Rosenwaldwasinspiredtoaidhiscause toimprovetheirlives WithRosenwald’s moneyandWashington’sarchitecture students–andtheirsharedabilityto makemoneygoalongway–theschools werebuiltandlivesimproved
Still,Rosenwaldschoolswereseparate andunequal.IncoldweatherJamesand otherboyscollectedcoaldroppedby locomotivesalongrailroadtrackstokeep theirschool’spotbelliedstovesworking. Studentsrepairedthefragile,wornbooks whiteschoolspasseddown Regardless ofinequity,teachersmadethedifference
“Theywereasmembersofthefamily.We hadthesamerespectforthemthatwe hadforothermembersofthefamily becausewewouldhearthemtalkingto ourparentsaboutus,aboutwhetherwe weredoingwhatwecoulddoorwhether weweredoingbetterthanweweredoing thelastmonthorthelastperiod There wasthisconcernaboveandbeyondthe calloftheclock”
Principalsalsoplayedmemorableroles. MildredWeathersMcDuffie,aretired teacherandsummarycourtjudge, recallsCreswellMadden,principalat CeliaSaxonElementaryinColumbia,from herdaysthereintheearly1940s:
“He’sdeceasednowbuthewasthe principalandhewasastrictone,strict butgood,”shesaysintheoralhistory. “Andhewasthekindofpersonwho respectedtheintegrityofthestudents, youknow,regardlessofwhetheryou camefromaone-parenthomeortwoparenthomeoroutofthealleyor wherever.Becauseyouknowalotof timesduringthattimealotofAfrican Americanslivedinareasthathadalleys. Andso,hewasarealgoodprincipaland Iwasoneofhisfavoritestudents becauseIsangrealwell”
McDuffieandJamesaretwoofmore than74,000studentseducatedinaSouth CarolinaRosenwaldschool.Forty-one wereinterviewedforUSC’soralhistory exhibit,conductedfrom2006through2011 byTomCrosby,Ph.D.,whoattended RosenwaldschoolsinUnionCounty. Crosbyretiredaschairofthebiology departmentatAllenUniversity,where he’dearnedhisbachelor’sdegree After earninggraduatedegreesfromIndiana andPennsylvaniaStateUniversities,he taughtatMorganStateUniversityin Baltimore.Inhisownoralhistoryinterview, Crosbyrecountswhyhechoseto becomeaneducator.Itstemmedfrom hisexperienceatPoplarGrove Elementary,whenateacheraskedhimto workamathproblemattheboard,and SimsHigh,wherestudentsbecame teachersandprincipalsfortwodays:
“OntheapplicationIthinkitasked,‘why doyouwanttomajorinthisparticular subject?’…Iwroteontherethat‘IthinkI cangetstudentstolearn’.”
They were as members of the family. We had the same respect for them that we had for other members of the family because we would hear them talking to our parents about us...There was this concern above and beyond the call of the clock.
-Bishop Frederick Calhoun James
Still standing: Of the 15 Rosenwald schools built in Richland County, Pine Grove (1923-1950) is the only one left. When the public school district closed it, families each paid $20 to buy the land and continue using the building as a community center. Decades later they deeded it to the Richland County Recreation Commission, which restored it. Listed on the National Register, Pine Grove was honored with a preservation award from the Historic Columbia Foundation. Photos courtesy of South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Bags of pennies
Continuingthatlegacyofeducationfor Blackchildrenmeanteverythingtotheir families.BlacksphysicallybuiltRosenwald schoolsusingprovidedplans;theyalso heldfundraiserstomatchRosenwald’s seedmoney–Crosbyremembersfish fries.Overfourdecades,before integrationmadethemobsolete,more than700,000studentswereeducatedin Rosenwaldschools,Smithsonian magazinereportedin2021 Manyofthose students,famousornot,helpedbring theirraceforward.WriterRonaKobell chroniclestheirimportanceinthe summer2023issueofNationalParks Magazine.Forher “Remembering Rosenwald”article,she interviewedthenow-elderly graduateswhoareworkingto restoretheirbelovedschools andothersconnectedtotheir history.Kobellreportshowback then,across-sectionofadults madesuretheirstudentsand thoseschoolssucceeded:
Thankstocleanandwell-lit spacesforlearning,devoted teachers,involvedparentsand strong,supportivecommunities, theRosenwaldschoolstudents thrived.Familiescontributed resources,manpowerand capital;eldersfrequently showedupatfundraiserswith bagsofpennies That commitmentandinvestment helpedincubateleaders,and manyRosenwaldstudents endedupatthevanguardof socialjusticemovements.The lateCongressmanJohnLewis, thereveredcivilrightsleader, attendedaRosenwaldschool, asdidMayaAngelou,Medgar EversandCarlottaWallsLaNier, oneoftheLittleRockNinewho integratedCentralHighSchool in1957.
KobellquotesNewallQuinton,who attendedSharptownColoredSchool,a RosenwaldschoolinMaryland.
“Myfatherwouldprayallthetimethathis kidshadabetterlifethanhedid,”Quinton recalled.“Andmymomwouldsay,‘You’re asgoodasanybodyelse.’”
TheNationalParksConservation AssociationiscreatingaparkinChicago forJuliusRosenwald,thefirstnational parktohonoraJewishAmerican They alsoareconsideringaseriesofhistoric sitesbasedontheRosenwaldschoolsstill standing.Onereasonmanypeople haven’theardoftheschoolsisbecause
Community service: As with many Rosenwald schools, St. George Rosenwald School could boast an auditorium. Why? Because the adults in the area needed a place to meet just as their children needed a place to learn. Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington realized their schools could meet many needs, including as community centers. After its recent restoration, community gatherings are happening in the auditorium again. Photos courtesy of St George Rosenwald School.
JuliusRosenwald,adheringtohisfaith, didn’twanthisnameattachedtothose schools.Manyareknownbythenames communitieschoseforthem
OnlyNorthCarolina,with813,and Mississippi,with633,hadmoreRosenwald schools(andindustrialshopsand teacherages)thanSouthCarolina.Now thereare44inthePalmettoState, includingateacherage.
“Conditionsvaryfromjustafewsticksto fullyrehabilitatedandeveryconditionin between,”reportsBradSaulswiththe SouthCarolinaDepartmentofArchives andHistory
Acouplehavebeenconvertedinto homes,othersmovedandattachedto churches.Mostareinseriousdisrepair. NotsoinSt.George,whereretired municipaljudgeRalphJamesledthe efforttorestorehisboyhoodschool.
WilliamsMemorialHighSchool,named fortheprincipalwhoworkedtosecure theRosenwaldfundstobuildit,isno longeranabandonedruin Photosand videosshowaspaciousbuildingwith rowsoftallnarrowwindows,ahallmarkof Rosenwaldschools.BasedonPlan6-A fromthe“CommunitySchoolPlans” createdfortheRosenwaldFundby FletcherB.DresslarandSamuelL.Smith, St GeorgeRosenwaldislargerthan many,withanauditorium Julius RosenwaldandBookerT Washington, fromthebeginning,envisionedtheir schoolsasgatheringplaces,hencethe additionofauditoriumsandgymsin someoftheirplans.
Likeothers,St.GeorgeRosenwald producedstudentswhoachievedand servedothers:
“Nomatterhowdifficultthejourneywas,I gotthebackgroundthatIneededtodo thethingsIdid,”reflectsalumnaThelma Harper,retireddistrictsuperintendentin Brooklyn,NewYork.“Withoutthat,who wouldhavethoughtayoungladyfrom Grover,SouthCarolina–St.George,South Carolina,[couldbe]preparedtofacethe world?”
Andoh-so-appropriately,theschoolhas beenrestoredthroughcollaboration The townofSt.George,staterepresentatives, theChildren’sMuseumoftheLowcountry, SouthCarolinaStateUniversity,andthe ElectricCooperativesofSouthCarolina haveallpitchedin.Now,theschoolisa museum,communitycenter,andpartof theAfricanAmericanCivilRightsNetwork ButforJames,“community”meansthe most
“We’regoingtoenrichthecommunity,” Jamespromisesinthevideo.“Wehopeto empowerthecommunitywith informationaboutprogramsand experiencesthatwillbroadentheir aspectandoutlookonlife.Oneofthe mainthingswehopetodoismake productivecitizensjustasitwasbefore Wewereencouragingparticipationinto thecommunityandcommunitylifeand wewillbegintohavethecitizenswithin thiscommunityparticipateandgive backtothecommunity.Itwasdone beforeandwehopetodoitagain.It’s veryseldomyouhavetheopportunityto lookback50,60,70yearsandbeableto repeatthoseyearsagain”
Remarkable transformation: Built as a sixteacher school in 1925, St. George Rosenwald originally was named for its first principal, Rev. A.D. Williams, who worked to secure the funds to build a school in this part of Dorchester County. Williams Memorial High operated until 1954 and then continued its role as a community center. Photos courtesy of St. George Rosenwald School
Learn more about Rosenwald Schools
Start your journey with “Remembering Rosenwald” in National Parks Magazine: https://www.npca.org/articles/3526remembering-rosenwald
To listen to and read more of Dr. Crosby’s oral history interviews with Rosenwald graduates in South Carolina: https://digital.library.sc.edu/exhibits/ros enwald/tom-crosby-oral-historyinterview-1-of-2/ and Tom Crosby Oral History Interview 2 of 2 – Rosenwald Schools of South Carolina
For more about the restored school in St. George: https://stgeorgerosenwald.org/
A new book about the Rosenwald mission: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820358413 /a-better-life-for-their-children/
CFEC is housed in the SC School Improvement Council at the College of Education at the University of South Carolina and is funded by federal grants #U310A180058 and #S320A230032. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education.