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 headquarters and visitor center at the former Sears Merchandising Complex in Chicago, Illinois, along with three restored Rosenwald School buildings in Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia. The bill also establishes 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, grants, and cooperative agreements with state and local governments and private organizations. The park shall not be established until the Secretary of the Interior determines that sufficient land has been acquired to constitute a manageable unit, and the Secretary must complete a general management plan within three years of receiving funding.
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