Between 1913 and 1932, Sears, Roebuck president Julius Rosenwald helped finance the building of 5,357 schools for African American children in the south. An informative work featuring numerous black-and-white photographs chronicles how Rosenwald launched this effort, a relatively small idea at first, at the request of Booker T. Washington, and how the vision grew. From the outset, Rosenwald asked that communities fundraise part of the cost of the schools so that everyone would feel a sense of pride and ownership. Stories of the difference the schools made in the lives of individuals and African American communities are part of this well-documented work that also illuminates approaches to philanthropy. (Ages 11–14)

When Booker T. Washington, the famed African American educator, asked Julius Rosenwald, the wealthy president of Sears, Roebuck and Company and noted philanthropist, to help him build well-designed and fully equipped schools for black children, the face of education in the South changed for the better.

It was the early 1900s, a time of discrimination, racial segregation, and inadequate education for African Americans. Rosenwald created a special fund that in just twenty years built more than 5,300 schools attended by 600,000 black students. In this inspiring story, noted nonfiction writer Norman H. Finkelstein spotlights one man's legacy and the power of community action. Includes quotations, a detailed bibliography, and index.