A Model Partnership
Booker T. Washington
Educator and leader who championed educational access and community investment
Julius Rosenwald
Philanthropist and business leader who partnered to expand educational opportunity
The Rosenwald Schools
Between 1912 and 1932, the Rosenwald Fund supported the construction of over 5,000 schools for African-American children across the segregated South. The program was built on a collaborative model that combined private philanthropy, public investment, and the leadership of local Black communities, who raised matching funds, contributed labor, and advocated for educational equity. Together, these partnerships expanded access to education and narrowed opportunity gaps for generations of students.
I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.
Booker T. Washington
Inspiring Modern Day Communities
This panel discussion explores how the legacy of the Rosenwald Schools continues to inspire community-led change today. Reflecting on the power of partnership, local leadership, and shared responsibility, the conversation examines how lessons from the Rosenwald model remain relevant to modern communities working to create opportunity from within.
All the other pleasures of life seem to wear out, but the pleasure of helping others in distress never does.
Julius Rosenwald