Julius Rosenwald funded 25 YMCAs for Black Americans

Person: Julius Rosenwald
Lived: 1862–1932
Field: Retail & philanthropy
From: American

The story

In the early twentieth century Black Americans began moving north in growing numbers in the Great Migration, looking for work, housing and community in unfamiliar cities. Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck, was by then becoming deeply concerned about the injustices facing African Americans, which he believed were connected with the inequities Jews had faced throughout their history.

In 1910 the YMCA asked Rosenwald to help fund a new building in Chicago. He replied that he would contribute only if a centre for African Americans were also built. The result was the Wabash Avenue YMCA, which opened in 1914. It greatly aided Black newcomers' integration into Chicago during the Great Migration, later became a historic landmark, and still operates today.

Rosenwald then turned the idea into a national challenge. He promised $25,000 to any city that could raise $75,000 to build a YMCA for African Americans. Between 1911 and 1933 he provided over $600,000 towards 25 YMCAs in 24 cities across the United States, including one in Harlem. The matching requirement, a hallmark of his giving, ensured that local communities invested in the buildings too. He did not want any charity to become wholly dependent on him, and he wanted others to have a stake in every project he supported.

The YMCA challenge grants were part of a much wider programme. At the same time Rosenwald was working with Booker T. Washington to build thousands of schools for Black children in the rural South, and his fund later supported fellowships, colleges and housing for Black Americans. The National Park Service lists YMCA facilities among the many causes that benefited from his 'give while you live' approach.

For decades the Rosenwald YMCAs gave Black Americans in cities across the country places to live, exercise, learn and build community, often at a time when few other institutions would welcome them. The Wabash Avenue building survives as a historic landmark, a reminder of a partnership between a Jewish merchant and Black communities that helped open doors during a time of segregation.

Why it matters

Rosenwald’s YMCAs gave Black Americans in dozens of cities places to live, exercise, learn and build community during the Great Migration.

About Julius Rosenwald

Clothier who turned Sears, Roebuck into America’s great mail-order retailer, then helped build nearly 5,000 schools for Black children across the segregated South.

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Julius Rosenwald

1862–1932 · Retail & philanthropy

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