Bill would add Rosenwald Schools to National Park System

What does this do?

HR 8887 would establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park, anchored at the historic Sears complex in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood and including three restored Rosenwald Schools in Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia. The bill also creates the Rosenwald Schools National Network within the National Park Service to connect surviving Rosenwald School buildings nationwide through research, grants, and educational materials. The National Park Service would be required to develop an educational plan within three years.

Who does it affect?

Residents near park sites in Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia would be most directly affected, along with communities across the South that still have surviving Rosenwald School buildings. People with interests in American history, civil rights history, or education policy would also be affected through new federally funded visitor centers, signage, and online resources.

Why does it matter?

Between 1912 and 1932, Julius Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington and thousands of Black communities to build about 5,000 schools that educated over 600,000 African American children during segregation. Federal designation and funding would increase public access to this history and connect dispersed surviving school sites under a coordinated national program.

Where does it stand?