Kudos goes out to local community activist Vivian Harris. Through her determination and countless efforts, a part of Oxford – and America’s history – has been preserved in print.

In 1922, Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Co., teamed up with Booker T. Washington to help better the lives of African American children in the South. With Rosenwald’s millions of dollars in matching funds and Washington’s belief that education was the best hope for children subjected to segregation, more than 4,000 schools were created throughout the South. One of those Rosenwald schools served African American children in Oxford.

We appreciate people like Mrs. Harris, because it’s people like her who keep alive the history of our communities, a history that should never be forgotten and should always be nourished and preserved.