The UNCW Rosenwald School Legacy Conference coming up on Friday April 7, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Watson College of Education. The conference grew out of the documentary work on historic African-American schools, by Claudia Stack.
Stack organized the inaugural conference in 2009, to raise awareness about the sacrifice African-American families made to build schools in North Carolina. The first conference was sponsored by Historic Wilmington Foundation and several departments at UNCW, which include, The Department of History, the Upperman African American Cultural Center, Randall Library, and the Watson College of Education.
Brunswick County Training School in Southport, a six-teacher Rosenwald School completed in 1924. Picture used with permission of Fisk Rosenwald School. [COURTESY OF CLAUDIA STACK]
The theme of this year’s conference is “African-Americans and Education: Past, Present and Future.” Topics include education history, innovative programs in K-12 schools, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These wide-ranging topics recognize that education is central to African-American history and hopes. “Getting to know my neighbors whose families sacrificed to build schools inspired me, which is why I continue to be involved,” said Claudia Stack on her continuing work.