The Friends of Russell Rosenwald School are presenting their Annual Historic Russell School “Movie on the Lawn” on Saturday, September 12th, 2020, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
They’ll show the movie “Just Mercy,” the award-winning film starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx that is based on the true story of how defense attorney Bryan Stevenson appealed the murder conviction of Walter McMillian, and founded the Equal Justice Initiative.
The event takes place at the Historic Russell School, 2001 Saint Marys Road, in Hillsborough.
The event also includes a tour of the Historic Russell School, the last remaining Rosenwald School in Durham County.
Please bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks. All guests are required to wear facial masks and will be socially distanced on the lawn.
Tickets are free, but please register online.
Here’s a little bit about Rosenwald Schools, and about the Russell School, from the Russell School’s website:
In the early 20th century, segregation in the rural South denied Black children access to formal education. To bring education to these children, countless individuals worked together to build Rosenwald Schools. Two leaders in this movement were Booker T. Washington, an educator and principal of the Tuskegee Institute, and Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist.
From 1913 to 1932, they teamed up with local communities across the South to build thousands of Rosenwald Schools. It was truly a community effort: “Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Fund contributed more than 4.3 million dollars, and African-American communities raised more than 4.7 million dollars.”
Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish immigrant and president of Sears, Roebuck & Co., became interested in improving rural Black schools in the South while serving on the board of Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute.
In 1913, Rosenwald began informally giving funds to Booker T. Washington to improve schools in Alabama. In 1917, Rosenwald incorporated the Rosenwald Fund, which provided grants to build schools throughout the South.
Although grants from the Rosenwald Fund came to an end in 1932, many Rosenwald schools remained open until the 1960s and 1970s, when the Supreme Court upheld and enforced Brown vs The Board of Education, which found the practice of states to create separate White and Black schools unconstitutional.
The school was named for one of the major neighborhood supporters, Thomas Russell. Built in 1926, it continued to operate until its closure in 1945. While the school was open, hundreds of children were educated, bringing to fruition the vision and dedication of those who believed that high-quality education should be available to everyone.
The two-room school was equipped to have two teachers. It has high windows, hardwood floors, two cloakrooms (one in each room), and a small kitchen facing the front of the building. The original chalkboards survive, as does one of the desks.
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Upcoming Events in the Triangle -- both virtual and in-person
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Saturday, November 28, 2020
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Historic Russell School, Hillsborough
2001 Saint Marys Road
Hillsborough, NC
