I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3250 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 
of the sites associated with the life and legacy of the noted American 
philanthropist and business executive Julius Rosenwald, with a special 
focus on the Rosenwald Schools, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 13, 2019 
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. COHEN, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. 
CARSON of Indiana, Ms. NORTON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. NAD-
LER, Ms. BASS, and Ms. STEVENS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
resource study of the sites associated with the life and 
legacy of the noted American philanthropist and business 
executive Julius Rosenwald, with a special focus on the 
Rosenwald Schools, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Julius Rosenwald and 
the Rosenwald Schools Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) Julius Rosenwald was born in 1862 in 
Springfield, Illinois, to Samuel Rosenwald and his 
wife, Augusta Hammerslough, a Jewish immigrant 
couple from Germany; 
(2) in 1868, Samuel Rosenwald purchased the 
Lyon House, where Julius grew up and lived with 
his family until the 1880s, which— 
(A) was diagonally across the street from 
the home where Abraham Lincoln lived prior to 
becoming president; and 
(B)(i) was restored recently before the date 
of enactment of this Act; and 
(ii) as of that date of enactment, was with-
in the boundary of the Lincoln Home National 
Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Sys-
tem; 
(3) Julius Rosenwald— 
(A) learned the clothing trade with rel-
atives in New York City; and 
(B) used that knowledge on moving to Chi-
cago, where he became part-owner and presi-
dent of Sears, Roebuck & Company, which— 
(i) he transformed into a retailing 
powerhouse in the early 20th century; and 
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(ii) could be considered the Amazon of 
its day; 
(4) the embodiment of the Jewish concept of 
‘‘tzedakah’’, righteousness and charity, Rosenwald 
used his fortune for numerous philanthropic activi-
ties, particularly to enhance the lives of African 
Americans, including by— 
(A) providing $25,000 for the construction 
of Young Men’s Christian Associations (com-
monly known as ‘‘YMCAs’’) for African Ameri-
cans during the Jim Crow era in cities that 
raised $75,000; and 
(B) eventually, supporting the construction 
of YMCAs in 24 cities across the United States; 
(5)(A) after his introduction to Booker T. 
Washington in 1911, Julius Rosenwald— 
(i) joined the Board of Trustees of the 
Tuskegee Institute; and 
(ii) financially contributed to a pilot pro-
gram to build 6 schools in rural Alabama for 
African-American children who were receiving 
little to no education; and 
(B) the donations by Rosenwald described in 
subparagraph (A) were matched by the local Afri-
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can-American communities that were committed to 
providing education for their children; 
(6)(A) the success of the pilot program referred 
to in paragraph (5)(A)(ii) led to the construction of 
more than 5,300 Rosenwald Schools and related 
buildings over a 20-year period in 15 southern 
States under the direction of the Julius Rosenwald 
Fund; 
(B) the schools described in subparagraph 
(A)— 
(i) were the result of a 3-way partnership 
among the Julius Rosenwald Fund, local com-
munities that, although generally poor, contrib-
uted land, labor, materials, and money to build 
and maintain the schools, and local govern-
ments that were required by law to provide pub-
lic schools for all children but divided funds un-
equally between Black and White systems; and 
(ii) often became the focus of great pride 
and affection among the applicable commu-
nities; 
(C) during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, 1⁄3 of 
all African-American children in the South were edu-
cated in Rosenwald Schools; 
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(D) a 2011 study by 2 Federal Reserve econo-
mists concluded that the schools played a significant 
role in narrowing the gap between the educational 
levels of Black and White students in the South; and 
(E) Members of Congress and poet Maya 
Angelou are among prominent graduates of Rosen-
wald Schools; 
(7) the Julius Rosenwald Fund— 
(A) supported early National Association 
for the Advancement of Colored People cases 
that eventually led to the Supreme Court deci-
sion in Brown v. Board of Education of To-
peka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), which outlawed 
segregation in public education; and 
(B) provided fellowships to talented Afri-
can Americans in the arts and sciences— 
(i) including the acclaimed historian 
John Hope Franklin, noted writer and civil 
rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, artist 
Jacob Lawrence, singer Marian Anderson, 
diplomat Ralph Bunche, and many others; 
and 
(ii) some of whom worked under 
Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court 
case referred to in subparagraph (A); 
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(8) Rosenwald also— 
(A) provided support for a number of His-
torically Black Colleges and Universities, in-
cluding Fisk, Dillard, and Howard Universities; 
and 
(B) used his wealth for other worthy 
causes, including the creation of the Jewish 
United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and the 
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago; 
and 
(9) the contributions of Julius Rosenwald to 
improving the lives of African Americans, as well as 
the lives of those who reside in Chicago and 
throughout the United States, are worthy of recogni-
tion and further examination. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ROSENWALD SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘Rosen-
wald School’’ means any of the 5,357 schools and 
related buildings constructed in 15 southern States 
during the period of 1912 through 1932 by the phi-
lanthropy of Julius Rosenwald. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
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(3) SHPO.—The term ‘‘SHPO’’ means the 
State Historic Preservation Officer of any of the 14 
States in which Rosenwald Schools exist as of the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 
special resource study of the sites associated with the life 
and legacy of Julius Rosenwald, with special focus on the 
Rosenwald Schools. 
(b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) determine the sites of national significance 
associated with the life and legacy of businessman 
and noted philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, with 
special focus on the Rosenwald Schools; 
(2) give priority to studying any Rosenwald 
School recommended to the Secretary by an SHPO; 
(3) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating one or more new units of the National 
Park System to include representative Rosenwald 
Schools and other sites associated with the life and 
legacy of Julius Rosenwald, including an interpretive 
center in or near Chicago, Illinois— 
(A) to commemorate the career and overall 
philanthropic activities of Rosenwald; and 
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(B) to address the scope and significance 
of the Rosenwald Schools initiative; 
(4) take into consideration other alternatives 
for preservation, protection, and interpretation of 
the legacy of Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald 
Schools by— 
(A) Federal, State, or local governmental 
entities; or 
(B) private and nonprofit organizations; 
(5) consult with, as determined appropriate by 
the Secretary, relevant— 
(A) Federal, State, and local governmental 
entities; 
(B) private and nonprofit organizations; or 
(C) any other interested individuals; and 
(6) identify costs associated with any potential 
Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, op-
eration, and maintenance associated with the alter-
natives described in paragraph (4). 
(c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study under subsection 
(a) shall be conducted in accordance with section 100507 
of title 54, United States Code. 
(d) RESULTS.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
on which funds are first made available for the study 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 
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Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report describing— 
(1) the results of the study; and 
(2) any conclusions and recommendations of the 
Secretary relating to the study. 
Æ 
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