Rosenwald: An Aviva Kempner Film
Programs
February 8, 2025 1:00pm - 3:30pm
Experience the incredible true story of community, education, and legacy of Rosenwald schools.
Event Details
Directed by Aviva Kempner, Rosenwald is the story of Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish businessman and philanthropist who joined forces with Booker T. Washington and African American communities in the segregationist Jim Crow South to build more than 5,000 schools. Inspired by the Jewish doctrine of "tikkun olam," repairing the world, and a deep concern over racial inequality in America, the Rosenwald Fund supported the building of YMCAs, housing, and funded artists such as Marian Anderson, Langston Hughes, and Gordon Parks.
Following the screening, David Porter III, Hopewell Rosenwald School Community Development Advisor, Ashley Rodriguez and Berenice Lopez, American Youthworks YouthBuild Program, and Elroy Williams, President of Hopewell Community Club & Hopewell Rosenwald School Community, will join Bullock Curator James McReynolds for a discussion on preservation of Rosenwald schools and working with African American communities to record their history.
Tickets are $8 for Museum Members and $12 for General Admission.
Seating begins at 12:45 p.m. for the 1 p.m. screening. All seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rating: NR
Suggested Age: all ages
Director: Aviva Kempner
Producer(s): Andrew Geyer, Aviva Kempner, Michael Rose
Runtime:
Release year: 2015
Genre: Documentary
The Hopewell Rosenwald School stands on land once owned by Martin and Sophia McDonald, formerly enslaved. Martin McDonald was born in 1848 in Tennessee to enslaved parents, Henry and Mariah. In 1850, at the age of two, Martin and his family were sold to John Moncure, who relocated them by wagon train to Bastrop, Texas. The journey took months and was fraught with challenges, including bad weather, illness, and wagon breakdowns. Once in Bastrop County, the McDonalds were assigned living quarters and work on the Moncure property.
The Hopewell Rosenwald School was established in 1922 through a partnership between the African American community, public funds, a grant from the Rosenwald Fund, and a 1.5-acre land donation from Martin and Sophia McDonald. The school served Black children in Cedar Creek, Bastrop County, providing a critical education until the late 1950s, when the Brown v. Board of Education ruling ended segregation in public schools.
After its closure, the building fell into disrepair. In 2015, the Hopewell Rosenwald School Project secured a $50,000 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative to restore the school. Now under restoration, the project aims to transform the building into a community center, preserving its legacy and the community’s dedication to education.
Associate Curator of Special Projects, James McReynolds, is an experienced museum professional. He earned a Master’s Degree in History and has worked at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in several capacities, including as Head of Public Programs in the education department, and now as part of the team developing concepts and content for exhibitions at the Museum.
Public programs at the Bullock Museum explore relevant history and celebrate the culture that has shaped our modern world. Through engaging discussions, live performances, and experiential activities visitors are invited to see local connections and discover how Texas fits into a broader national story.
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The Bullock Museum, a division of the Texas State Preservation Board, is funded by Museum members, donors, and patrons, the Texas State History Museum Foundation, and the State of Texas.
