Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton presents "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," a new traveling exhibition, on display Aug. 1-Sept. 13.
Created by the Tennessee State Museum in partnership with The John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library at Fisk University, the exhibition traces the history of education for Black Tennesseans from the Reconstruction period, through the development of the Rosenwald program, and into the present day.
“We couldn’t be more excited to host this excellent travelling exhibit from the Tennessee State Museum,” Adam Velk, Green McAdoo Cultural Center director, stated in a news release. “Getting an opportunity to tell these stories about what education means to a community is a joy. At the heart of our center’s story is the discussion about Black education, and this is just a natural extension of that.”
What are commonly referred to as Rosenwald Schools were the result of an initial partnership between Sears, Roebuck, and Co. President Julius Rosenwald, Tuskegee Institute President Booker T. Washington, and Black communities throughout the South. Between 1912-1937, that partnership resulted in the construction of almost 5,000 schools for Black children across 15 Southern states, including 354 in Tennessee. Rosenwald schools drove improvement in Black educational attainment and helped educate the generation who became leaders of the Civil Rights movement.
The traveling exhibition on display at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center consists of five two-sided panels and includes the stories of alumni and community members from 16 different Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee.
“TSM and Fisk wanted to build a more diverse and inclusive space for all Tennesseans to learn about and honor the history and legacy of Black education in the state,” Debbie Shaw, senior curator of archaeology at the Tennessee State Museum, is quoted as saying in the news release. “The resilience and perseverance of these Black communities as they strived for equal access to education is highlighted through their work with the Rosenwald School program. The legacy continues today as members from these same groups work toward the preservation of these schools and communities.”
“Our teams at the Fisk University John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library and the Forging Future Pathways Forward: Building a Portal to Rosenwald Collections for all at Fisk University project were thrilled to partner and collaborate with Tennessee State Museum,” stated DeLisa M. Harris, director of library services at Fisk University. “This exhibit is the first major showcase of the impact and legacy of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Rural School program in Tennessee.”
This traveling exhibit is an expansion of "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," an initiative that included a 4,000 square foot temporary exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum and a two-day symposium. The project won a 2024 American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History Award of Excellence and the 2024 Tennessee Association of Museums President’s Award.
Green McAdoo Cultural Center, 101 School St., is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed every Sunday and Monday. Admission is free.
The Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton is dedicated to telling the story of the Clinton 12 - the young black students who in August 1956, quietly entered the front door of all-white Clinton High School, making it the first desegregated public high school in the South. The center opened in 2006 as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the historic event. It is the former site of the segregated Green McAdoo Grammar School, where African American students attended grades first through eighth. Outside the center is a display of a dozen life-sized bronze statues by The Large Art Company that depict each of the students as they are about to walk from their neighborhood to integrate Clinton High. The center includes a 1950s period classroom, videos, letters and historical artifacts.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Traveling exhibit on history of education for Black Tennesseans opens at Clinton 12 museum
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