Segregation & Re-Segregation of Mecklenburg Schools: The History and Legacy of the Julius Rosenwald Fund in North Carolina

A dinner & lecture to raise funds for the Save Siloam School project.

The Charlotte Museum of History hosts a special fundraising dinner to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Rosenwald School Fund. Event speakers, including community historian Dr. Tom Hanchett, explore the legacy of the Rosenwald Schools and what they teach us about the current re-segregation of Charlotte schools. Alumni of local Rosenwald schools will be on-hand for the event. Dr. Ron Carter, president of Johnson C. Smith University, and the late Dr. George E. and Marie G. Davis will be honored for their invaluable contributions to the advancement of African-American education in Charlotte.

All proceeds benefit the Save Siloam School Project, a partnership of Silver Star Community Inc., The Charlotte Museum of History and others to save an endangered Rosenwald-plan school in East Charlotte.

“Historic preservation has been at the heart of The Charlotte Museum of History since its founding,” notes Mary Newsom, chair of the museum’s board of trustees. “The Siloam School gives us all a window into the educational, agricultural and community perspectives of early 20th-century African-American families. These Siloam stories, though 100 years old, will strike familiar chords for 21st-century listeners.”

Speakers are:
• Author and educator Marshall Washington-Cabiness Abuwi overviews the legacy of his great-grandfather, Dr. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), founder of Tuskegee University and a co-founder of the Rosenwald School Fund. Abuwi is a professor of history in the University System of Georgia, an academic research consultant and a visiting lecturer at Augusta University.
• Author and journalist Stephanie Deutsch discusses the philanthropy of her husband’s great-grandfather, Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932). Deutsch is author of “You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South.”
• Dr. Tom Hanchett, community historian, explores Mecklenburg County’s Rosenwald tradition and the current re-segregation of Charlotte’s schools.

For more information contact: Mary Beth Navarro, 704-576-1858  To purchase tickets, please visit the Charlotte Museum of History: http://charlottemuseum.org/tc-events