Julius Rosenwald: The Most Important Philanthropist You Never Heard Of

OLLI at Berkshire Community College and the OLLI at the University of Richmond present:

Julius Rosenwald: The Most Important Philanthropist You Never Heard Of

Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 7 p.m. EDT

Online via Zoom.
Free & open to all, registration required.

Forum Credit Available for BCC Students

In the early 20th century, Julius Rosenwald, a child of German Jewish immigrants, President of Sears Roebuck, and visionary philanthropist, partnered with Booker T. Washington and African American communities to build 4,977 schools for Black children across the Jim Crow south. Learn more about this incredible story, the impact of these schools in our U.S. history, and the campaign to create a new National Park to preserve the history of these schools.

Speakers:

• Dorothy Canter, Ph.D., President of the Rosenwald Park Campaign
  
• Stephanie Deutsch, author of You Need a Schoolhouse, Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South
• Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources of the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA)
• Robert G. Stanton, first African American Director of the National Park Service

Dorothy Canter, Ph.D.

Dorothy A. Canter, Ph.D., an expert in the decontamination of bioterrorism agents, played an important role in the fumigations of contaminated buildings following the 2001 anthrax attacks. She worked for the federal government for 29 years, the last 15 of which at the Environmental Protection Agency, where she served as the Chief Scientist for Bioterrorism Issues from November 2001 until June 2005. Dr. Canter received both a B.S. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in biophysics from The George Washington University. She currently is the President of the Rosenwald Park Campaign. She served on the boards of the National Parks Conservation Association and the Shenandoah National Park Trust. She has visited 332 National Parks. She is a member of the board of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC,

Stephanie Deutsch

Stephanie Deutsch is the author of You Need a Schoolhouse, Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South, published in 2011 by Northwestern University Press. She was a speaker at the two national Rosenwald school conferences sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has visited more than two dozen Rosenwald schools and has shared the story with alumni of the schools, church groups and high school students. She is on the board of the Rosenwald Park Campaign and the editor of its newsletter. Her husband, David Deutsch, is the great-grandson of Julius Rosenwald. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Master’s degree (in Soviet Union Area Studies) from Harvard. 

Alan Spears

As Senior Director for Cultural Resources of the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA), Alan Spears uses real-life stories and a conversational style to connect with his audiences to promote NPCAs advocacy of and the critical role the National Park Service plays in protecting, interpreting and managing this nation’s historic and cultural resources. A veteran advocate and member of the NPCA Government Affairs department, Alan leads community outreach and legislative engagement on a variety of park protection issues. Recent victories include joining with NPCA colleagues, partners and allies to win the designation of the Fort Monroe, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad, Colonel Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers, Pullman, and Birmingham Civil Rights National Monuments. Alan’s current efforts include National Heritage Area program defense, serving as NPCA’s lead coordinator for the Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools national park designation campaign, and work in Mississippi to create a new national park site commemorating the legacy of Emmett Till, Mamie Till-Mobley, and the foot soldiers of the Mississippi civil rights movement.

Robert G. Stanton

Robert G. Stanton joined the National Park Service as a seasonal ranger and rose through the ranks to become the agency’s first and only African American Director. He has also served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Interior. He has been nationally recognized through awards and citations for outstanding public service and leadership in conservation, historic preservation, youth programs, government relations and diversity in employment and public programs. Recently he received the William Penn Mott, Jr., Leadership Award. He is the Vice President of the Rosenwald Park Campaign.