Mission to Save African American “School of Hope”
Frank Stasio, the host of The State of Things, interviewed Willa Wyatt, president of the Friends of the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School Rehabilitation Project; Les Reker, Rural Heritage Museum director; and Fatimah Shabazz, an alumna of the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School. The group discussed the mission to save the historic Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School. The interview aired on WCQS in December. You can listen to the interview by visiting www.wcqs.org.
In 1928 a new school building was constructed in Mars Hill using Rosenwald funds. The Rosenwald School building program was created by Booker T. Washington and funded by Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears and Roebuck. The Long Ridge Rosenwald School opened in the fall of 1929 and continued until 1959, when the school name was changed to Anderson Elementary School to honor Joseph Anderson, the slave who had been sent to prison one hundred years earlier, in 1859, as surety for Mars Hill College’s debt.
Two presentations took place late last year featuring Mars Hill Rosenwald School alumni. “One Anderson” featured Oralene Simmons, great-great-grandaughter of Joe Anderson, and her cousin, Suzie Anderson, great-great-grandaughter of Joe’s slavemaster. In November, a panel of alumni — Charity Ray, Dorothy Coone, Omar Lewis McClain, Fatimah Rashida Shabazz, Oralene Simmons, Sarah Roland Weston-Hart, and Gene Jones — moderated by Kevin Barnette, shared personal stories about the school. Videos of each presentation can be viewed by visiting the website at www.andersonrosenwaldschool.com
Upon rehabilitation, the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School will serve as a Community Cultural Center and an Interpretive Museum intended to promote a fuller understanding of southern Appalachian black history and to enhance education at all levels.
Save the Date!
The final program of “Our Story – This Place” will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for an evening of gospel music and a presentation on the history of gospel music and how it relates to the African American community. A reception will be held afterwards. The event takes place in Broyhill Chapel, on the campus of Mars Hill University.
“Our Story, This Place, The History of African American Education in Madison County, NC: The Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School” is on display at the Rural Heritage Museum until February 28, 2015. The exhibit includes historic artifacts, photographs, and videos. Works by Charity Ray are also on display as part of the exhibit.
The Rural Heritage Museum is open daily (except Mondays) from 1-5 p.m. and by appointment. It is located on Rt. 213, in Montague Hall, on the campus of Mars Hill University. Admission is free. For more information or for group tours, please call (828) 689-1400, or visit www.mhu.edu/museum.
The Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School committee will not hold a meeting in Asheville until March due to construction at the Stephens Lee community center. For more information, or to donate to the project, visit www.andersonrosenwaldschool.com
