1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2024 HCR 1001
4
5 By: Representatives T. Shephard, F. Allen, Nicks, K. Ferguson, Springer, V. Flowers, Scott, J.
6 Richardson, Ennett
7 By: Senators F. Love, R. Murdock, L. Chesterfield
8
9 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
10 TO RECOGNIZE RALPH WILCOX AND THE DIVISION OF
11 ARKANSAS HERITAGE FOR THEIR WORK IN PRESERVING THE
12 REMAINING STRUCTURES AND HISTORY OF THE ROSENWALD
13 SCHOOLS IN ARKANSAS; AND TO HONOR THE LEGACY OF THE
14 ROSENWALD SCHOOLS AND EDUCATE FUTURE GENERATIONS OF
15 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROSENWALD PROJECT IN AMERICAN
16 HISTORY.
17
18
19 Subtitle
20 TO RECOGNIZE RALPH WILCOX AND THE
21 DIVISION OF ARKANSAS HERITAGE FOR THEIR
22 WORK IN PRESERVING THE REMAINING
23 STRUCTURES AND HISTORY OF THE ROSENWALD
24 SCHOOLS IN ARKANSAS.
25
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27 WHEREAS, during the period of 1912 through 1932, American
28 philanthropist and business executive Julius Rosenwald constructed five
29 thousand three hundred fifty-seven (5,357) schools and related buildings in
30 fifteen (15) southern states; and
31
32 WHEREAS, the Rosenwald School building program was a Progressive Era
33 program that provided grants to build schools for African Americans across
34 the South; and
35
36 WHEREAS, Julius Rosenwald partnered with African American educator and
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 HCR1001
1 activist Booker T. Washington in an effort to improve the education available
2 to African Americans; and
3 WHEREAS, the Rosenwald School building program has since been called
4 the most important initiative to advance Black education in the early
5 twentieth century; and
6
7 WHEREAS, despite the Rosenwald Schools' historical significance, only a
8 small percentage of Americans are familiar with the Rosenwald School
9 structures and their impact on the history of the United States; and
10
11 WHEREAS, while some of the Rosenwald Schools are being preserved for
12 community use, lack of resources and neglect threaten the preservation of
13 many other Rosenwald Schools; and
14
15 WHEREAS, there were very few Rosenwald Schools listed on the National
16 Register for Historic Places in the 1980s and 1990s, and the Division of
17 Arkansas Heritage did not have a concentrated focus on documenting the
18 Arkansas Rosenwald Schools until they were placed on the National Trust for
19 Historic Preservation's eleven (11) most endangered list in 2022; and
20
21 WHEREAS, Ralph Wilcox, the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
22 for the Division of Arkansas Heritage, determined which Rosenwald Schools
23 remained in Arkansas, and the Division of Arkansas Heritage completed a
24 comprehensive survey of the remaining Rosenwald Schools; and
25
26 WHEREAS, the Division of Arkansas Heritage found that less than twenty
27 (20) of the Rosenwald Schools in Arkansas survived; and
28
29 WHEREAS, between 2004 and 2006, Ralph Wilcox submitted a written
30 nomination for each Rosenwald School building eligible for listing on the
31 National Register of Historic Places; and
32
33 WHEREAS, the National Trust held several Rosenwald School conferences,
34 and the work that Ralph Wilcox did was praised and used as a model for other
35 states to follow when documenting their Rosenwald Schools; and
36
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1 WHEREAS, as of today the following Rosenwald School buildings located
2 in Arkansas are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
3 (1) Dunbar Junior and Senior High School and Junior College,
4 Little Rock;
5 (2) Bigelow Rosenwald School, Toad Suck;
6 (3) Oak Grove Rosenwald School, Oak Grove;
7 (4) Dallas County Training School High School Building, Fordyce;
8 (5) Peake High School, Arkadelphia;
9 (6) Marion Colored High School, Sunset;
10 (7) Selma Rosenwald School, Selma;
11 (8) Malvern Rosenwald School, Malvern;
12 (9) Lafayette County Training School, Stamps;
13 (10) Kiblah School, Doddridge; and
14 (11) Mt. Olive Rosenwald School, Mt. Olive,
15
16 NOW THEREFORE,
17 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
18 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:
19
20 THAT the House of Representatives and the Senate recognize Ralph Wilcox
21 and the Division of Arkansas Heritage for their work in preserving the
22 remaining structures and history of the Rosenwald Schools in Arkansas.
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