Full house in Easton, Maryland!

Rosenwald was shown to an excited full house at a special screening at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland on Sunday! The screening was prompted when a fan, Evelyn Korman, saw the film in Philadelphia and was so moved by it that she encouraged her synagogue to arrange the event.

Alma Hackett and Newell Quinton (who were interviewed in the film) also came out from Santa Domingo to attend the screening and give a talk.

Newell Quinton and Alma Hackett giving a talk after the screening

After the talk, Evelyn and Bernard Korman brought copies of Peter Ascoli’s book, Julius Rosenwald: The Man Who Built Sears, Roebuck and Advanced the Cause of Black Education in the American South to pass out with the help of Rabbi Peter Hyman.

(left to right) Aviva Kempner, Evelyn Korman, Rabbi Peter Hyman, Bernard Korman

The event was sponsored by Temple B’nai Israel, The Frederick Douglass Honor Society, the NAACP, Talbot Association of Clergy and Laity, and The Academy Art Museum.

Photographs taken by Alan Mickelson

Buffalo’s First Black Architect

Historians in Buffalo, NY have a new exhibit to add to their lists! Burchfield Penney Art Center now has a public display that is “the most comprehensive look at John Brent’s life and legacy to date”. John Brent, the first black architect from Buffalo, is responsible for many famous structures including two entrance gates to the Buffalo Zoo (both found on the National Register of Historic Places), designing the construction plans for the Michigan Avenue YMCA, and a YMCA camp in Wales.

You can read more about the exhibit here.

JULIUS ROSENWALD by Peter Ascoli

Many of you may know Peter Ascoli- as well as being a grandson of Julius Rosenwald, he is featured prominently in our film, in which he served as a consultant. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he also holds a BA from Oxford, a Masters from Northwestern, and a PhD from UC Berkeley. He’s known to many people as many different things- Professor, consultant, fundraiser- and author.

Julius Rosenwald: The Man Who Built Sears, Roebuck and Advanced the Cause of Black Education in the American South by Peter Ascoli

Ascoli has written a detailed biography of his grandfather’s life in his book, Julius Rosenwald: The Man Who Built Sears, Roebuck and Advanced the Cause of Black Education in the American South. If you enjoyed the movie and want to learn more about Julius Rosenwald, then this book will offer you plenty of great insights in to the life of the great philanthropist. The book is published by Indiana University Press and is available through their website and through Amazon.com, available in both trade paperback and hardcover, as well as on Kindle.

Rosenwald gets a mention in the Teaching for Change newsletter

Today, Teaching for Change listed the film Rosenwald as a learning resource in their newsletter about the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement! The newsletter also featured a great deal of other valuable resources, several available learning opportunities, and Civil Rights Movement events. You can learn more about Teach for Change and sign up for their mailing list by visiting their website.

Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write and change the world.”