LIVINGSTON, AL – A century after Booker T. Washington met Julius Rosenwald and began a partnership for education that changed the nation, The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) will meet June 14-16 at the campus where it all began, Tuskegee University.

Started in Alabama by Sears and Roebuck founder Julius Rosenwald and Tuskegee Institute’s president Booker T. Washington, by 1928 the Rosenwald School Initiative was responsible for “one in every five rural schools for Black students in the South … .”

Nearly 400 schools were  constructed in Alabama from 1917 to 1932.  They were part of this civic effort to increase educational opportunities  in  the largely rural and segregated South.  Eutaw and Mantua in Greene County  were former sites of a Rosenwald School.

The NTHP presents 100 Years of

Pride, Progress and Preservation featuring education sessions, documentary films and poster presentations, along with hands-on workshops and tours to help novices and seasoned preservationists alike get organized, tackle, and finish their Rosenwald School projects. Learn, network, commemorate, and celebrate at this important event. Also, enjoy a line-up of exciting entertainment and national speakers including Nikki Giovanni, Dr. Mary Hoffschwelle, Dr. Peter Ascoli, and Robin Washington Banks.

For more information, visit www.preservationnation.org/rosenwald, or contact sponsoring partner, Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area, The University of West Alabama Station 45, Livingston, AL 35470, or call (205) 652-3828.