He was a participant in a project that helped establish 5,000 Black-only schools in rural areas of the South

Many aspects of Booker T. Washington's legacy reflect his passion and dedication to education, but perhaps nowhere is this passion and commitment more apparent than in his work with Sears CEO Julius Rosenwald to support the establishment of more than 5,000 schools for Black children in rural communities throughout the South.

The Rosenwald Rural Schools Initiative was established to help address the stark disparity in funding for white and black schools in the South, despite the notion that everything was "separate but equal." For Black communities to establish locations for their kids to go to school, the Rosenwald Fund would offer financial assistance, architectural plans, and advice.

Washington also placed a high priority on preparing future teachers at institutions like Tuskegee so they could serve as educators in their home communities.

By the time the project was over, it had aided in the establishment of 5,357 schools and related structures in 883 counties, educating 663,615 pupils—more than a quarter of black students in the South. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago concluded a 2009 research that the schools had a significant impact on literacy, incomes, and the Great Migration to the North.

Approximately 10% of the original school buildings are still in use today; some serve as community centers and museums with signs describing their historical value, while others serve as barns and sheds with no mention of their former uses. Additionally, there is a nationwide initiative to preserve and restore these significant American history artifacts.