The Library is the Soul of the Schoolhouse

The African American Struggle for Library Equality: The Untold Story of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Library Program unveils the almost forgotten philanthropic efforts of Julius Rosenwald, former president of Sears, Roebuck, Co. and an elite business man. Rosenwald simply desired to improve, “the well-being of mankind” through access to education.

Many people are familiar with Mr. Rosenwald as the founder of the Julius Rosenwald Fund that established more than 5,300 rural schools in 15 Southern states during the period 1917-1938. However, there is another major piece of the puzzle, the Julius Rosenwald Fund Library Program. That program established more than 10,000 school, college, and public libraries, funded library science programs that trained African American librarians, and made evident the need for libraries to be supported by local governments.

The African American Struggle for Library Equality is the first comprehensive history of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Library Program to be published. The book reveals a new understanding of library practices of the early 20th century. Through original research and use of existing literature, Dr. Aisha Johnson exposes historic library practices that discriminated against blacks, and the necessary remedies the Julius Rosenwald Fund Library Program implemented to cure this injustice, which ultimately influenced other philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates (the Gates Foundation has a library program) as well as organizations like the American Library Association.

Past Book Talks & Lectures

University of Hartford

Texas Library Association

Black Caucus of the American Library Association's Leadership Institute

University of Southern Mississippi

ALA Student Chapter at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

LA County Public Library System

Elizabeth City State University Library

UC Berkley Librarians' Spring Assembly

African American Research Library and Cultural Center of Broward County Public Library System, Cultural Conversations 

Southeastern Chapter American Association of Law Libraries 

Augusta Baker Diversity Lecture Series
Palm Beach County Public Library System

Lost in the Stacks, Georgia Institute of  Technology
University of Tennessee Libraries
Troy University, Dothan Campus

Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History
Spelman Archives & Women's Research and Resource Center