CCHGA Presents Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee

The Cheatham County Historical & Genealogical Association will host Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee, a traveling exhibition on display November 8–December 6, 2025, at the Cheatham County Museum.

Created by the Tennessee State Museum in partnership with the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library at Fisk University, the exhibit traces the history of Black education in Tennessee—from Reconstruction through the Rosenwald program and into the present day.

“Although Cheatham County did not have a Rosenwald School, we are honored to host this display,” said Lisa Walker, CCHGA Program Committee Chair and County Historian. “It shares the powerful story of how these schools transformed education for African American students across the South.”

Between 1912 and 1937, partnerships among Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and Black communities across the South led to the construction of nearly 5,000 schools, including 354 in Tennessee. These schools advanced Black education and helped prepare the generation who led the Civil Rights Movement.

The exhibition features five double-sided panels with stories from alumni and community members from 16 Rosenwald Schools across Tennessee.

“Our goal was to create a space for all Tennesseans to honor the legacy of Black education,” said Debbie Shaw, Senior Curator of Archaeology at the Tennessee State Museum. DeLisa M. Harris, Director of Library Services at Fisk University, added, “This exhibit is the first major showcase of the impact and legacy of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Rural School program in Tennessee.”

This traveling exhibition expands on the Building a Bright Future initiative, which included a 4,000-square-foot exhibit and a two-day symposium at the Tennessee State Museum. The project earned the 2024 AASLH Leadership in History Award of Excellence and the 2024 Tennessee Association of Museums President’s Award.

About the Cheatham County Museum

Formed in 1994, the Cheatham County Historical & Genealogical Association, a 501(c)(3) non

profit organization, runs the Cheatham County Museum. The museum is located at 835 South

Main Street in Ashland City. The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to

4:00 p.m. and Saturday: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $4.00 to non Cheatham County

Historical & Genealogical Association members. For more information please call (615)

792-3623 or email cchgaoffice@gmail.com.

CCHGA’s website is https://cheathamcountyhistory.weebly.com/