Unlocking the Door of Opportunity Documentary Screening and Talk

5 East Edenton Street,Raleigh NC 27601

16 February, 2023

Description

Join the NC Museum of History for a viewing of the new documentary Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity: The Rosenwald Schools of North Carolina, which tells the story of North Carolina’s Rosenwald schools and why the Jim Crow era made them necessary. From the 1910s into the early 1930s, more than 5,300 school buildings were constructed in African American communities throughout 15 southern states. Seed money came from Chicago philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, CEO of Sears, Roebuck, and Company. Black communities put up cash, and local school boards agreed to operate the facilities. North Carolina was home to over 800 Rosenwald schools, more than any other state. A discussion with the film’s producers and local scholars will follow the screening. The documentary was produced by Longleaf Productions and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Truist.