Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum Opens Special Exhibition: A Better Life for Their Children, Photographs and Stories by Andrew Feiler
On view from March 7 to August 17, the exhibition highlights the 4,978 schools built by Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald for Black children in the early 1900s
DALLAS, March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum announces a new special exhibition, A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America, open to the public from March 7 through August 17, 2025. Through photographs and stories curated by esteemed photographer and author, Andrew Feiler, the exhibition showcases the ambitious program to build thousands of schools for Black children across the segregated South and Southwest, including in Texas, from 1912 to 1937. The schools confronted the deep educational disparities of the time and profoundly shaped the nation, fostering a generation of civil rights leaders and activists.
In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Jim Crow laws and practices prevented many Black Americans in the South from receiving an education, voting in elections, and enjoying the same freedoms granted to other citizens. In a collaborative effort to cultivate these communities and give Black children opportunities for better lives, eminent Black educator and author Booker T. Washington partnered with Jewish businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald to build thousands of schools. Known as Rosenwald schools, they became cornerstones of their Southern and Southwestern communities, with some also serving as assembly halls and community centers.
Many of the leaders and foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement were educated in these schools including Medgar Evers, Maya Angelou, multiple members of the Little Rock Nine who integrated Little Rock Central High, and Congressman John Lewis.
Of the original 4,978 Rosenwald schools, only about 500 survive, serving as a reminder of a time when school segregation was legal. Photographer Andrew Feiler drove more than 25,000 miles, photographed 105 schools, and interviewed dozens of former students, teachers, preservationists, and community leaders to tell the story of the schools and their lasting impact on the country.
“We believe deeply in the importance of honoring history to better understand its lessons for our lives today. A Better Life for Their Children reminds us of the importance of addressing educational disparities and promoting inclusive learning opportunities, given that education is the cornerstone of transformative change.” said Mary Pat Higgins, president and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. “A Better Life for Their Children highlights two remarkable and forward-thinking leaders with vastly different life experiences who together launched one of the earliest partnerships across race, religion, and region to bring students the educational opportunities they were entitled to.”
“Texas Instruments is proud to present this important exhibition that reminds us of the power of education and its ability to change lives for generations,” said Andy Smith, director of giving and volunteering at Texas Instruments and executive director of the TI Foundation. “As a long-time supporter of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, we’re honored to be part of telling the inspiring story of how two individuals from varying backgrounds came together to make a significant impact.”
The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is grateful for the generous support of this special exhibition from presenting sponsor Texas Instruments. Additional support is provided by the Bank of Texas, Debbie and Ron Greene, Match Group, and Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.
More information and tickets for A Better Life for Their Children and special exhibition programs can be found here: dhhrm.org/better-life/
About the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
The mission of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. Founded in 1984 by local Holocaust survivors, the institution now resides in a new building in downtown Dallas where visitors experience a deeper immersion into the history of the Holocaust, human and civil rights, their centrality to our democracy, and their vital importance in preventing events like those of the Holocaust from happening again. The 55,000-square-foot permanent home covers three floors, and the main exhibition includes four wings that teach about the Holocaust, the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after World War II, the ten stages of genocide, and America’s civil rights journey. Please visit DHHRM.org or call (214) 741-7500 for more information.
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SOURCE Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
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