Association of Jewish Libraries 51st Annual Conference
Rosenwald screened on June 22nd for a very enthusiastic audience in attendance at the Association of Jewish Libraries 51st Annual Conference!
Screening at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2015 Rosenwald Schools Conference
During the week of June 17-20 Aviva Kempner travelled to Durham, NC for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2015 Rosenwald Schools Conference. This annual gathering is a chance for everybody directly or indirectly involved with Rosenwald Schools and Rosenwald’s legacy to come together to discuss the current state of the schools and celebrate the long lasting positive effects of his philanthropy. Many schools today are abandoned and neglected, and in 2002 the schools were placed on the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. People from all walks of life, including artists, teachers, and historians attended the events. Aviva was able to discuss her documentary in front of a large crowd. During her screening on June 19th, she offered them a glimpse into her film and her extensive research about Rosenwald and his extraordinary life. She hopes that when people see the film, they will be inspired to donate to the restoration of the schools. Rosenwald hits theaters in August. Don’t miss it!
Rosenwald screens at JEWISHFILM.2015
On May 13th, Rosenwald was screened at Boston for the JEWISHFILM.2015 film festival to an enthusiastic audience. The sponsors of this event, the National Center for Jewish Film, are now our official distributors for the theatrical release of Rosenwald! The NCJF has served as distributor for all of the Ciesla Foundation’s productions and it is a pleasure to be working with them again.
Loretta Lynch Confirmed as First Black Female Attorney General
Loretta Lynch was just confirmed as the first black female attorney general after a 166-day wait for the vote. Loretta’s father, Rev. Lorenzo Lynch, says her story begins with Julius Rosenwald, who built 5,300 public schools for African American children around the country. Loretta’s mother went to one of the Rosenwald schools. Loretta herself was very intelligent, doing so well on a standardized test that her white teachers made her take it again. She graduated top of her senior class from Durham High School. But still, Lorenzo was shocked when he found out about his daughter’s nomination. Republicans used her nomination as a “proxy fight against Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.” Lorenzo believes that his daughter’s legacy will be, “Don’t give up.”
To read more about Lynch’s connection to the Rosenwald schools, click here for the article from Politico, and to learn more about Julius Rosenwald, don’t forget to check out Rosenwald when it hits theaters all over America later this year.
Jesse Owens honored on DC Mural
On April 10th, Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens was honored on a 15′ by 15′ mural, created by Duke Ellington students under the guidance of artist Mark Walker and presented by newly-elected Mayor Muriel Bowser.
It was presented on behalf of the students of The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a DC public school. Winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Owens was the son of a sharecropper and the grandson of a slave. At the height of his fame, he lived in the Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments, also know as the Rosenwald. He would go for his daily run and slow up so the children who ran with him could keep up.
The mural project was done in partnership with Duke Ellington, the DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
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