It’s estimated that this initiative helped educate over 660,000 children, more than ¼ of Black children in the south. Washington also prioritized developing and training future teachers at places like Tuskegee, so they could return to their own communities to help educate the next generation. The Rosenwald Rural Schools Initiative was created to help combat the extreme inequity between what was spent on white schools compared to black schools in the South, despite the idea of things being “separate but equal.” The Rosenwald Fund would provide financial support, architectural blueprints, and guidance for Black communities on how they could build places for their children to attend school. Washington’s legacy, but perhaps nowhere is it more evident than in his work and partnership with Sears CEO Julius Rosenwald to help create over 5,000 schools for Black children throughout rural communities in the South. Presidents.Ī post shared by Friends Of BTWNM see a passion and commitment to education throughout so much of Booker T. Learn more about the debate between Washington & Du Bois > 3. He also secretly invested in key Black newspapers and publications around the country to help bring attention to these issues and to help combat injustice and inequality. However, despite his public comments that looked to avoid confrontation, Washington was secretly involved in financially supporting and contributing to many legal challenges against segregation and voter suppression. Washington’s views were shaped, in part, by wanting to protect Black people from confrontation with whites and that cooperation would be the long-term solution to ending racism. Some viewed this as tolerance for Jim Crow Era segregation and a 'separate but equal' philosophy. Du Bois, for telling Black Americans to concentrate on working hard and improving their own economic conditions through education and entrepreneurship instead of directly challenging segregation or fighting for political and social rights. He faced criticism from other Black leaders, such as NAACP founder W.E.B. George Washington & Jefferson National ForestsĪ post shared by Friends Of BTWNM impact and legacy related to civil rights is complicated, to say the least.

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