February 8, 2018
UPDATE: The Rosenwald School Network Meeting has been rescheduled to May 11.
Meeting will be held March 2 at historic Robert Russa Moton Museum
FARMVILLE – Preservation Virginia, a private, non-profit organization and statewide historic preservation leader based in Richmond will be hosting their statewide Rosenwald School Network Meeting March 2 at the Robert Russa Moton Museum from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite through February 28. Breakfast and lunch are included.
The public is invited to explore the history of Rosenwald schools in Virginia alongside guest speakers and Rosenwald school alumni. The Rosenwald rural school building program was a major effort conceived by Booker T. Washington and funded in part by Julius Rosenwald to improve the quality of public education for African Americans in the south. Between 1917 and 1932, more than 360 Rosenwald schools were built in Virginia.
In August 2017, Preservation Virginia launched phase one of their statewide survey of Rosenwald schools in Virginia and will be sharing a first look at some of their early findings during the event. Archaeology students from Longwood University recently used Preservation Virginia’s mobile Rosenwald school survey tool to document schools in the Farmville area and their findings will be presented as well.
Guests will have the opportunity to get hands-on training with the survey tool for use in their own communities in addition to networking with Rosenwald school advocates and participating in a Moton Museum exhibition tour.
“The Statewide Rosenwald School Network Meeting is an excellent opportunity for the public to learn about the important work being done across the state to document and preserve historic African American/Rosenwald-funded schools,” says Justin Sarafin, Preservation Virginia’s director of preservation initiatives and engagement.
More information about Preservation Virginia’s statewide initiative to document and preserve Rosenwald schools can be found here: https://bit.ly/rosenwaldstorymap.
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About Preservation Virginia
Preservation Virginia is a private, non-profit organization and statewide historic preservation leader founded in 1889 that is dedicated to preserving, promoting and serving as an advocate for Virginia's cultural and architectural history.
Press Contact
Brittney Jubert
804-648-1889 ext. 304
bjubert@preservationvirginia.org
