National Center for Civil and Human Rights

In the early 1900s Jewish businessman Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington forged one of the earliest collaborations between Jews and African Americans. The pair created schools throughout the nation for Black children who didn’t have access to publicly funded schools.

From 1912 to 1937, the Rosenwald schools program built 4,978 schools for African American children across 15 southern and border states. Savannah native Andrew Feiler traveled to 105 of the school buildings with his camera in tow to create a comprehensive photo documentary of this piece of history.

The photographer’s exhibit “A Better Life for Their Children” is debuting this week at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The exhibit showcases 23 photos accompanied by stories and information about the schools and the time period. The exhibition accompanies his book of the same name which includes about 80 photos.

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