The schools for African American children built during the era of Jim Crow segregation that are celebrated in the ongoing museum display of photographs by Andrew Feiler tell only part of the story of Julius Rosenwald’s remarkable philanthropy. Speaking in February, widely observed in schools and museums as Black History Month, author Stephanie Deutsch will present Rosenwald’s relationship with and generosity to Carter Woodson, the son of Virginia who created “Negro History Week,” as well as the lasting impact of the 900 men and women who received funding as “Rosenwald fellows,” a veritable who’s who of Black leaders in the 1930s and 1940s. She will speak as well about the Campaign to Create the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historic Site. Such a park would be the first to honor the contributions of a Jewish American. Investment in People, the title used by Rosenwald Fund president Edwin Embree for his history of the Fund, is an apt description of what Rosenwald accomplished. He invested not in his own reputation but in individuals who, given access to education and moderate financial support as they began their careers, could—and did—make enormous contributions to our country. The impact of Rosenwald’s generosity and vision is still being felt today.
Stephanie Deutsch is a writer and critic living in Washington, D.C. She has written for The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, The Millions blog and various neighborhood newspapers. She is the author of You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South. Stephanie is on the board of the Campaign to Create a Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical. She lives in Washington, D.C., and is married to David Deutsch, a great-grandson of Julius Rosenwald.
