Amram Scholar Series Presents: Andrew Feiler

3935 Macomb Street Northwest,Washington DC 20016

27 March, 2022

Description

WHC's Amram Scholar Series Presents: Andrew Feiler (A Better Life for Their Children) Sunday, March 27 at 10:30 am at Washington Hebrew Congregation on Macomb St. NW. Born to Jewish immigrants, Julius Rosenwald rose to lead Sears, Roebuck & Company and turn it into the world’s largest retailer. Born into slavery, Booker T. Washington became the founding principal of Tuskegee Institute. In 1912 the two men launched an ambitious program to partner with black communities across the segregated South to build public schools for African American children. This watershed moment in the history of philanthropy—one of the earliest collaborations between Jews and African Americans—drove dramatic improvement in African American educational attainment and fostered the generation who became the leaders and foot soldiers of the civil rights movement. Over the next 25 years, 4,978 Rosenwald schools would be built across the country. Today, about 500 still remain. A few remain active schools, some have been repurposed, but many remain untouched and on the risk of collapse. To tell this story visually, Andrew Feiler drove more than twenty-five thousand miles, photographed 105 schools, and interviewed dozens of former students, teachers, preservationists, and community leaders across 15 states. He will join us at WHC for our Amram Scholar Series to share more about his mission to document this important piece of American history. This program is free and open to the entire community. About the Author: Andrew Feiler is a fifth-generation Georgian. Having grown up Jewish in Savannah, he has been shaped by the rich complexities of the American South. Andrew has long been active in civic life. He has created numerous community initiatives, serves on multiple not-for-profit boards, and is an active advisor to political leaders. His art is an extension of his civic values. Click here to purchase this book through WHC’s Mitzvah Mall Presented in Partnership with the Jewish Book Council . *This program will also be available to view via private livestream. To receive the streaming information, please RSVP using the form above. A link and password to access the livestream will be included in your confirmation email.