Parks Group Lauds New Legislation to Establish Rosenwald Schools National Park Site

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced groundbreaking new legislation to establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park. Rosenwald, a Jewish American business executive and philanthropist, partnered with African American communities to build thousands of schools across the South.

NPCA is a founding member of the Rosenwald Park Campaign, led by longtime national park advocate Dr. Dorothy Canter, which seeks to establish the first national park site to honor a Jewish American: Julius Rosenwald.

Rosenwald, the son of German Jewish immigrants, was a successful business leader at Sears and Roebuck and a prominent philanthropist motivated by tzedakah, a Hebrew term meaning an obligation or calling to pursue righteousness and charity. In partnership with Booker T. Washington and Black communities across the South, Rosenwald helped fund the construction of more than 5,300 schools and related buildings for children with little or no access to quality public education.

The Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act of 2024 would allow the National Park Service to establish a national historical park protecting and interpreting Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools’ legacy at the following key sites:

• The San Domingo Rosenwald School in Wicomico County, Maryland. • A proposed park headquarters within the Sears merchandising complex in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.

Additionally, the legislation would establish a Rosenwald School Network Program, providing an opportunity to empower entities already preserving and promoting schools to continue to do so. This grant-making program could empower local communities in the same way that Rosenwald’s initial challenge grants did to build schools.

“Julius Rosenwald was a proud son of Illinois whose works left an indelible mark on our country. His generosity and collaborative spirit have had ripple effects on Black communities for many generations. Without Julius Rosenwald, we might be living in an entirely different America today. For these reasons, it is essential that we honor his legacy with a national park site, one that includes stories of his business acumen in Chicago and his pursuit of righteousness and fairer education at places like the San Domingo School. We are deeply appreciative of Senator Durbin’s legislation to do just that,” said Crystal M.C. Davis, Senior Midwest Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association.

“Rosenwald schools,” provided the first permanent educational facilities for many Black people in rural areas, educating one-third of the African American children in the South before integration began. Many of the students who graduated from Rosenwald schools — including Congressman John Lewis and poet Maya Angelou — were leaders in the civil rights movement.

“Our country owes Julius Rosenwald a great debt. Having experienced discrimination and prejudice himself as a Jewish man, he acted in solidarity with Black communities to create a stronger United States of America. Through partnerships with Booker T. Washington and other notable Black leaders, Rosenwald built schools that provided Black Americans with a quality education. These schools helped create the Black middle class, and equipped the next generation of civil rights activists, scholars, and leaders.” said Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association Senior Director of Cultural Resources. “It is time for the Park Service to tell this history.”

Experts with the National Park Service recently released a Special Resource Study determining that the San Domingo school is nationally significant and met other key criteria for national park consideration, including feasibility and suitability, and a direct need for Park Service management.

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.