On Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m. Historic Medley District (HMD) will host a presentation at the Old Town Hall/Bank Building in Poolesville on the African American schools of western Montgomery County before desegregation in 1956. HMD would like this presentation to be a real community forum, drawing on the memories of senior African Americans whose parents, aunts, and uncles attended these schools.
The moderator will be Knight Kiplinger, HMD Board Chairman. Introductory remarks will be given by Ralph Buglass, a noted authority on country schools in our region. Part of his discussion focus will be on the black elementary schools around Poolesville. One of these is the Rosenwald School on Jerusalem Road, within today’s “Beauty Spot.” Many people may pass this facility and be unaware of the historical significance of this school building which is hidden amongst other small buildings and trucks.
The Rosenwald School building program played a prominent and pivotal role in the education of African Americans in the early 20th century. Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, in partnership with Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute, established the Rosenwald Fund providing matching grants for more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teachers’ residences in 15 southern states between 1917 and 1931. HMD is working with the town of Poolesville, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and the County Council to raise recognition of this important and largely unfamiliar component of the education of black students in the United States. There are also several other Rosenwald schools in Montgomery County. We must remember the valuable role that these schools played in the education of black students in our area.
This is open to the public with no registration required.