Chicago's Mother of Black History, Vivian Harsh-- Part 1: Education the Key

From the February 2, 2020, Chicago Tribune by Ron Grossman.

She didn't write a book, but her name is on a special collection in the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library in Chicago.  When she died in 1960, the Chicago Defender's obituary was headlined:  "Historian Who Never Wrote."

Vivian Harsh once said:  "If we as Negroes knew the full truth about what we, as a race, have endured and overcome just to stay alive with dignity, our respect and hunger for education would triple overnight."

Her devotion and dedication to all things history began back when she was at high school at Wendell Phillips in Chicago, where she joined the Herodotus History Club.  The ancients called Herodotus the "Father of History."

Vivian Harsh was the "Mother of Black History."

After the George Cleveland Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library opened on the South Side, with Harsh as the head librarian, the Rosenwald Fund gave her a $500 grant to study libraries serving black communities in other cities.  Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist and president of Sears, Roebuck & Co. was responsible for making the Hall Branch a reality in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.  Not to mention all the hundreds of Rosenwald schools built in the South to educate black children.

A Short History of Sears & Roebuck-- Part 4: Julius Rosenwald, Philanthropist

Julius Rosenwald was not only a businessman, but also a notable philanthropist.  His sizable donations created the Museum of Science and Industry and built schools in hundreds of Southern towns that lacked educational facilities for black children.  He felt a responsibility to use his fortune for the benefit of those less fortunate than he was.

And, by 1908, he was in charge of Sears & Roebuck, Richard Sears having retired then.

His Homan complex in the North Lawndale neighborhood included an athletic field, a running track and tennis courts.  Workers were invited to take their lunch breaks in a formal garden with a pergola and classical pavilions.  The company touted those amenities in promotional handouts:  "We believe these surroundings inspire our workers to better things and make for contentment and happiness."

--CootSears

Rosenwald Schools

From the December 7, 1941, Charleston (SC) Post and Courier "Rosenwald Schools" by Robert Behre.

In 2002, the National trust for Historic Preservation listed these schools as most endangered sites. Sears president Julius Rosenwald put up funds to match to build 4,977 new schools for blacks in the South from 1912 to 1932. There were 13 built in Charleston County, 6 each in Berkeley and Colleton counties and 2 in Dorchester.

Only a few are known to be still standing. The interior of the Lincolnville Town Hall is one.

One in southern Charleston County is now a private residence. Of the more than 500 built in South Carolina, only 10-15% survive. They are not as common in SC's Low Country as in Upstate.

About 664,000 blacks in 15 states were educated in Rosenwald Schools.

It Is Too Bad That So Few Know of These Schools That Did So Much to Further Black Lives. --DaCoot