Centenarian Clara Mae Britt Returns to 1949 Rosenwald School for 100th Anniversary

Clara Mae Britt, now 105, returned to the former St. George Rosenwald School on Saturday to mark its 100th anniversary. She had graduated from the segregated high school in 1949 at the age of 27, the oldest in her class by about a decade, after having left school in eighth grade to support her family. The school, built between 1925 and 1926 with a Rosenwald grant, closed five years after Britt’s graduation and has recently reopened as a community center after a renovation funded by state earmarks. The centennial event drew alumni and descendants, who gathered to honor the school’s legacy of perseverance and opportunity in an era of inadequate support for Black education. The school’s auditorium now serves as an event space, and parts of the building house a satellite location of the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, showcasing the original classroom layout and Civil Rights history. Britt’s return highlights the enduring significance of Rosenwald schools and their role in shaping educational pathways for African‑American communities.