National Park Partners invites the public to a community meeting on Thursday, April 21st for a panel discussion to support the inclusion of Chattanooga stories in the Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Campaign. Meeting attendees will discuss ideas for the design and placement of plaques commemorating the eight (8) Rosenwald Schools once located in Chattanooga. To further ensure that the legacy of these local schools is preserved for the future, National Park Partners will register interested participants in the collection of oral histories for curation online and inclusion in a podcast series to be hosted on WUTC honoring the history of Chattanooga’s Rosenwald Schools. 

Hosted at RISE Chattanooga, formerly Jazzanooga, the meeting will be at 2901 Taylor Street, Chattanooga, 37406 and begin at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required for this free event, and light refreshments will be provided. Register online to attend at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chattanooga-rosenwald-schools-rosenwald-national-park-campaign-tickets-313506946717.  Participants can also attend the meeting remotely via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89728060647.

Tennessee Representative Greg Vital, Campaign Chairman Dr. Dorothy Canter, and Jerry Klinger from the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation will address participants about regional and national efforts to honor the Rosenwald Schools legacy. Sears magnate Julius Rosenwald and former-slave Booker T. Washington became friends in the early 1900s and were an unlikely duo whose work together changed the trajectory of education for families across the South. Washington invited the Jewish leader and businessman to join the board of the Tuskegee Institute, beginning a friendship that led to educating over 662,000 Black students across the South, fostering community growth and expanding the landscape of philanthropy. 

Both men were passionate about increasing opportunities for African Americans and saw education as the vehicle to that success and the movement these men created has been called the most important initiative to advance black education in the early 20th century. Tennessee Representative Greg Vital, former chairman of the National Parks Conservation Association, said, “When I first learned about Rosenwald Schools I knew that there must be a strong Chattanooga connection and I am thrilled that our community's stories will be preserved for the future.” Representative Vital hosted Dr. Dorothy Canter in Chattanooga during the 2021 Moccasin Bend Lecture Series; the recording of her fascinating talk is available on National Park Partners’ YouTube channel (watch here).

Chattanooga had eight Rosenwald Schools and people connected to those schools are invited to share their memories, photographs, and stories. Eight Rosenwald Schools were built in the Chattanooga area, including Bakewell, Booker T. Washington, Chickamauga, Georgetown, Hixson, Roland W. Hayes, Summit and Washington School. Built between 1922 and 1929, none of these original buildings remain but details, stories and anecdotes about them and their role in their respective communities are being solicited. 

Roland W. Hayes, built in 19xx was the primary source of water for many households in its community, serving not just as a place of learning for its children but as a hub for its families. Janice Gooden, a proud Roland Hayes alumna, reflects that, “I believe it’s important to save the stories about our schools because of the significant role they had in developing our character,” continuing to say, “in addition to receiving an education, we received love and care from our teachers.”