04/29/2022
Very proud of my mother, Judith Carter, and her advocacy for and efforts toward this important effort (see article linked below). As I stated in my remarks that day, Judy knew how essential it is to not only honor the history of the Orange Graded School, but to honor the community that built, the educators who ran it, and the alumni who attended it.
Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington collaborated to build over 5,000 schools for black students in 15 southern states with a team: The Rosenwald fund, the local school board, and the community. This was more than a building, it was a place to gather, a place to empower, and place of hope.
My mother was a champion for education and everything that having one means for an individual, and for their community. She advocated and served her community for many years on the school board as well as in many other capacities. Judy believed that access to an education was a right of every child, and she fought tirelessly for that.
Though decades apart, Judy was a continuation of Rosenwald and Booker’s team because she helped lead the charge for the school board, and the community, to cement and highlight this historical site.
Booker T. Washington once said, "success always leaves footprints", and it fills us with pride that we will always see hers, alongside so many others, on the grounds of such an important site.
Memories fade. Buildings crumble. Legacies endure.
