Biography:
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April
5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an
American educator, author and leader of
the African American community.
Washington's philosophy and tireless work on
education issues helped him enlist both the
moral and substantial financial support of many
philanthropists. He became friends with such
self-made men from modest beginnings as Standard
Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers and Sears,
Roebuck and Company President Julius Rosenwald.
These individuals and many other wealthy men and
women funded his causes, such as supporting the
institutions of higher education at Hampton and
Tuskegee. Each school was originally founded to
produce teachers. However, many had often gone
back to their local communities to find precious
few schools and educational resources to work
with in the largely impoverished South. To
address those needs, through provision of
millions of dollars and innovative matching
funds programs, Dr. Washington and his
philanthropic network stimulated local community
contributions to build small community schools.
Together, these efforts eventually established
and operated over 5,000 schools and supporting
resources for the betterment of blacks
throughout the South in the late 19th and early
20th centuries. The local schools were a source
of much community pride and were of priceless
value to African-American families during those
troubled times in public education. This work
was a major part of his legacy and was continued
(and expanded through the Rosenwald Fund and
others) for many years after Washington's death
in 1915.
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Other Available Coins:
Archbishop Desmond
Tutu
St. Anastácia
Saint Maurice
Nelson Mandela
Zumbi Dos Palmares
Dr.
Carver &
Booker T. Washington |
