Panel & Discussion with Eugene Robinson, Alumnus & Moderator Stephanie Deutsch, Author Aviva Kempner, Filmmaker Vyllorya Evans, Daughter of Rosenwald Teachers Doris Dearing Johnson, Rosenwald Alumna February 19, 2026 400 I St. SW The story of the Rosenwald Schools is largely absent from American history textbooks. During the Jim Crow era between 1913 and 1932, when African American children were routinely denied education, especially in the South, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, in collaboration with the great African American educator, Booker T. Washington, helped establish more than 5,000 schools in rural towns and smaller cities across the South. This amazing and unsung initiative educated over 600,000 children. Among the students were Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Alice Walker.