INSIDE Board proclaims Older Americans Month > page 5
Volume 59, Number 20 • May 23, 2013
Rain fails to dampen spirits of Rassawek festival visitors
Author of Rosenwald schools’ history speaks at Second Union By Ken Odor jodor@goochlandgazette.com
About 100 guests crowded into the fellowship hall at Second Union Baptist Church last Friday to hear author Stephanie Deutsch tell the story of how the son of Jewish immigrants and a former slave collaborated to help build schools across the south for black students. “This is the kind of event I like the best,” said Deutsch after her introduction as she began to tell the story, chronicled in her book ‘You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South,” of how Washington and Julius Rosenwald worked together to build more than 5,000 one and two-room schoolhouses for African Americans. One such school stands, restored,
in the parking lot of Second Union Baptist Church in western Goochland, just feet from where Deutsch spoke. “It was actually illegal to teach a slave to read,” Deutsch reminded the audience of the state of things before Emancipation. Washington met Rosenwald in 1911 and convinced the wealthy president of Sears, Roebuck and Co. to direct some of his philanthropic efforts toward building schools in the south for African-Americans. Rosenwald was keenly aware of the plight of blacks, as a race riot took place in 1908 in Springfield, Ill., his hometown. Deutsch praised the efforts of Second Union to preserve their school. “What you are doing is incredsee Author> page 7
Photos by Ken Odor
It rained hard Saturday morning in western Goochland County but by the afternoon visitors were streaming in to sample beverages, food and entertainment at the Rassawek Spring Jubilee and Wine Festival. Above, a boat full of visitors to the Rassawek Wine Festival and Spring Jubilee takes a leisurely spin around the lake Saturday afternoon. At left, Susan Greebaum belts out her version of the Beatles “Money Can’t Buy Me Love” to the delight of the listeners gathered at the Cherokee Cabin. For more photos, see page 9.
Photo by Ken Odor
Author Stephanie Deutsch holds the plaque presented to her last week by members of the Second Union Rosewald Schools, Inc. From left, current president Calvin Hopkins was joined in the presentation by former presidents Sekou Shabaka and Steve Fleming.