Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity / The Rosenwald Schools of North Carolina (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity / The Rosenwald Schools of North Carolina
Writer: Tom Lassiter
Director: Jere Snyder
Producer: Tom Lassiter
Abstract: The rise of Jim Crow in the late 19th century caused public school spending for African American students in the rural South to all but dry up. Rosenwald Schools, the shorthand name for a program put forward by the educator Booker T. Washington and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, offered a way for communities to build the schools they wanted and needed. Rosenwald Schools took root in 15 states, with the program eventually helping to build nearly 5,000 schoolhouses. The program was especially successful in North Carolina, which constructed nearly 800 schools, the most of any state. One reason for the program's success was dynamic leadership – Black and White, male and female – who shared the goal of creating better schools for Black communities, yet who operated largely within society's conventions of that era. North Carolina's Rosenwald Schools remind us of a time when community people with few resources were united by a vision for a better future. They invested in that future and struggled to achieve it. The story of Rosenwald Schools informs today's younger generations about an era that has been missing from history books. It also has valuable lessons about community building and cooperation, which are sorely needed in these fractious times.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: http://vimeo.com/691199838/ee2bc95ee8
Primary URL Description: "Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity / The Rosenwald Schools of North Carolina" -- a 30-minute documentary for general audiences. Historians and alumni share the story of how North Carolinians came to build more Rosenwald Schools for African Americans than any other state.
Access Model: Documentary has been offered to PBS-NC to air on the statewide network. Program is available online to the public and educators. Plans are to screen the film in community forum settings, pending funding. All access is free to the public.
Format: Digital File
Format: Web

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