Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee

Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee, presented in partnership with Fisk University’s John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, is a community-focused exhibition that highlights the work of alumni, descendants, and organizations to preserve the legacies of Rosenwald Schools across the state.

What are commonly referred to as Rosenwald Schools were the result of an initial partnership between Sears, Roebuck, and Co. president Julius Rosenwald, Tuskegee Institute president Booker T. Washington, and Black Communities throughout the South. Between 1912-1937, that partnership resulted in the construction of almost 5,000 schools for Black children across 15 southern states, including 354 in Tennessee. Rosenwald schools drove improvement in Black educational attainment and helped educate the generation who became leaders of the Civil Rights movement.

This exhibition leads the visitor through the development of Rosenwald Schools and their legacies by first tracing the history of education for Black Tennesseans beginning with the Reconstruction period. It explores early partnerships between churches, schools and agencies like the Freedmen’s Bureau, and the work of Black leaders, residents, parents, and teachers to improve educational opportunities for Black students. Featured exhibit topics include Black Education before 1912, Black Tennesseans and Rosenwald Schools (1912-1960s), and the Legacies of Rosenwald School Communities.