Rosenwald Schools of Durham County and North Carolina

At the turn of the 20th century, descendants of enslaved African-Americans in the United States had few options for schooling and faced segregation laws that prohibited attending schools with white children. Limited teaching took place in meager structures or churches with few dedicated schools in place. In 1912, the Principal of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington, met with the President of Sears Roebuck and philanthropist Julius T. Rosenwald, and hatched a plan to build schools for black children through a public-private partnership. Funding for new schools was to be provided through a combination of Rosenwald Funds, local school boards, and black community donations of money, materials, and labor. Between the late 1910s to early 1930s, the Rosenwald Schools Program built more than 5300 schools, industrial workshops, and teacher houses, across 15 southern states. North Carolina had more Rosenwald projects than any other state at more than 800. While most Rosenwald buildings in North Carolina have been lost, more than 125 are still standing today. At many sites, community members are organizing to preserve their local history and to educate the public about this era of educational inequity and the inspiring efforts of black North Carolinians who struggled but ultimately succeeded to provide their children with access to educational opportunities.

This interactive exhibit introduces the broader Rosenwald Schools program in North Carolina with an emphasis on local Rosenwald Schools in nearby Durham County through historic documents, historic photographs, and interview footage. Included in the exhibit are: 1) floor plans issued by the Rosenwald Fund to guide the construction of different types of school buildings; 2) historic photographs of Rosenwald Schools constructed in Durham County; 3) interview footage with alumni of the Historic Russell School in Durham County discussing how they traveled to school, the school curriculum, chores students performed around the school, play time at the school, and student reflection on educational inequities; and 4) historic photographs of Rosenwald Schools from the North Carolina State Archives that illustrate: pre-Rosenwald structures used to educate black children juxtaposed against post-Rosenwald buildings, students and teachers using Rosenwald facilities, daily activities such as playtime outside Rosenwald buildings, busing, and graduation.

This exhibit was produced along with a special event, Voices from the Historic Russell School, held in February 2024, which featured a panel of former students of the school, supporters of its legacy, and scholars; as well as immersive virtual experiences of Russell School on VR headsets and in the Cyma Rubin Visualization Gallery, made in collaboration with NC State's DELTA group.