July 29, 2024
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden:
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks requests that you utilize your authority under the Antiquities Act to designate a national monument commemorating the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald and the impact of the Rosenwald Schools. Our organization has expressed support for establishing the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park for several years. Designating a national monument will be the key first step in achieving that goal.
The Coalition studies, educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation of America’s National Park System. Our 2,700 members have more than 45,000 years of experience serving as stewards of our national parks and public lands. Among our members are former NPS directors, regional directors, superintendents, resource specialists, park rangers, maintenance and administrative staff, and a full array of other former employees, volunteers, and supporters. We firmly support the addition of new park units that honor and illuminate stories that represent the full range of American diversity. The Rosenwald Schools are an example of an under-told story in American history that deserves recognition.
The son of German Jewish immigrants, Julius Rosenwald helped make Sears, Roebuck and Company a retailing powerhouse and used his enormous wealth to become a visionary philanthropist. He partnered with Booker T. Washington and nearly 5,000 African American communities in 15 Southern states to build schools for children who previously had little or no access to public education. The schools educated over 600,000 children during the era of enforced segregation, including Congressman John Lewis and Maya Angelou.The Julius Rosenwald Fund awarded fellowships to nearly 900 talented men and women, two-thirds of whom were African American. Mr. Rosenwald contributed to numerous Jewish causes and was the founding donor of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
We recommend that a national monument consist of the San Domingo Rosenwald School in Wicomico County, Maryland, and an easement on the exterior of the Nichols Tower in the former Sears, Roebuck and Company merchandising plant in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
The owner of the San Domingo School, the John Quinton Foundation, Inc., officially has expressed its willingness to transfer the school to the federal government. The special resource study of the sites associated with Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools concluded that the San Domingo School met all criteria for becoming a unit of the National Park System.
In addition to the school, we also support the inclusion of a site in Chicago, as the story of Julius Rosenwald and his remarkable philanthropy began with his partnership with Richard Sears in 1895. The 14-story Nichols Tower is part of the Sears, Roebuck and Company Complex National Historic Landmark and the Sears, Roebuck and Co. Chicago Landmark District. It has been restored and houses nonprofit organizations. It is owned by the Foundation for Homan Square, which has expressed willingness to place an easement on the property so that it could become a part of the planned national monument.
This national monument would pay tribute to the importance of education as an equalizing force. It would be the first unit of the National Park System to commemorate the legacy of a Jewish American. Ensuring that this story is not lost and sharing it with generations to come will contribute to building a more cohesive and resilient nation.
The Coalition urges you to move swiftly to designate this nationally significant part of twentieth century American history as a national monument and ensure its protection for future generations.
Sincerely,
Phil A. Francis, Jr.
Chair of the Executive Council
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
cc: The Honorable Brenda Mallory, Chair, CEQ
The Honorable Chuck Sams, Director, NPS
Shantha Alonso, Director, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, DOI
Dorothy Canter, Ph.D., President, Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools NHP Campaign