(Portions of this blog post adapted from an October, 2008 editorial I wrote for the Star News)
Sometimes, people ask me why we should look back to segregation-era schools. It is true that recalling segregation can inspire shame and sadness; there are real and valid reasons for these reactions. However, I also try to help people appreciate more dimensions of the historic African American schools in our region. They should be understood not only in contrast to the white schools, but also as rich environments within themselves. Ultimately, they embody the striving and dedication of educators and concerned families.
Most importantly, if we ignore the significance of the many historic African American schools in our region (both Rosenwald Schools and others), it deprives our African American students of their educational heritage, and that is a true travesty. As a teacher in a predominantly African American school, I want my colleagues and students alike to know that education is something that African Americans have always shaped and owned.
Most of the Rosenwald schools in Southeastern North Carolina were closed during school consolidation in the 1950s. With consolidation, and eventually integration in the 1960s, African Americans achieved overdue access to more modern facilities. This period also coincided with the abandonment, both literal and figurative, of many of the old school buildings that had been built through such sacrifice by African American communities.
Ethically, legally, and economically, integration was the only possible outcome. However, it also meant that many links to the past were officially severed. Rosenwald schools still matter because they embody an important source of community pride and progress during an oppressive era, the memory of which is scattered but not yet completely lost.
Alumni groups, churches, and families with deep roots in the region keep Rosenwald school memories alive. Yet this chapter of history, so influential locally, slipped from the public eye as most of the Rosenwald buildings fell into disrepair.
Many prominent blacks in our region, including school administrators, judges, politicians and artists, are alumni of Rosenwald schools. Their ability to go on to greater educational attainments and their commitment to service were first nurtured in these historic schools. Rosenwald schools also still matter because they had a direct and lasting influence on our leaders today.
