This bill establishes the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park as a new unit of the National Park System to commemorate Julius Rosenwald, a Sears executive and philanthropist who partnered with Booker T. Washington to build approximately 5,000 schools for African-American children in the segregated South between 1912 and 1932, educating over 600,000 children including future civil rights leaders like John Lewis and Maya Angelou. The park will include a 40-acre site at the former Sears Merchandising Complex in Chicago, Illinois, which will serve as the headquarters and visitor center, as well as the San Domingo Rosenwald School in Sharptown, Maryland, with the park not officially established until the Secretary of the Interior determines sufficient land has been acquired. The bill also creates a Rosenwald Schools National Network within the National Park Service to connect remaining Rosenwald Schools across the country and disseminate their history through educational materials, research, and cooperative agreements with federal, state, and local entities. The legislation authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land, enter into cooperative agreements, and provide grants to preserve and interpret these historic sites, with a requirement to complete a management plan within three years of receiving funding.
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