Screening December 6-7, 2020
Discussion December 8, 2020 | 6:30pm
Rosenwald is the incredible story of Julius Rosenwald, an individual who never finished high school, yet became the president of Sears, Roebuck & Co. Influenced by the writings of the educator Booker T. Washington, Rosenwald went on to partner with Washington and African American communities in the segregationist Jim Crow South to build more than 5,000 schools during the early part of the 20th century.
Inspired by the Jewish doctrine of tikkun olam (repairing the world), Rosenwald used his wealth to confront racial inequality in America. Because of his modesty, Rosenwald’s philanthropy and social activism are not well known today. During his lifetime, he gave away $62 million. Directed by Aviva Kempner.
- Screen the film at home from Sunday, December 6 – Monday, December 7.
- Join the Zoom discussion on Tuesday, December 8 at 6:30 pm PST with Stephanie Deutsch, author of You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South, and Professor Julius Alexander McGee, Portland State University.
This event is co-sponsored by United in Spirit, a collaboration between the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, the Portland Chapter of NAACP, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Dialogues Unlimited LLC, and Remember the Hope Christian Fellowship.
Both the film and discussion are FREE but registration is required.
We are grateful for your participation and encourage you to consider supporting our virtual programs.
Stephanie Deutsch was born in Washington, D.C. and as the daughter of a Foreign Service officer grew up in New Zealand and in France as well as in Arlington, Virginia. She graduated from Brown University and has a Master’s Degree in Soviet Union Area Studies from Harvard. Despite much foreign experience, she discovered a great love of American history which resulted in her book, You Need a Schoolhouse, Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South, published in late 2011 by Northwestern University Press. Since then she has told the story of the collaboration between Washington and Rosenwald in many settings – restored Rosenwald schools, public, private and charter schools, community centers, and churches.
Learn more about Stephanie’s work here.
Julius Alexander McGee (PhD) is an assistant professor at Portland State University in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning and the Black Studies Department. His scholarship focuses on the relationship between social inequality and climate change. He has also published on topics related to organic farming, renewable energy, global urban development, and transportation. His more recent work explores how mass incarceration contributes to climate change.
Since earning his PhD at the University of Oregon in 2016, McGee has outlined the ways in which organic agriculture contributes to climate change, illustrated how renewable energy consumption expands social inequality, and advocated for a more robust understanding of how energy systems perpetuate racism. Most recently, McGee has embarked on a book project that explores the connection between anti-Black racism and the climate crisis.