Claudia Stack (born May 3, 1966) is an educator, writer, and documentary filmmaker. Her film productions include �
Under the Kudzu
�� (2012) and �
Carrie Mae: An American Life
�� (2015), both of which focus on schools that African American families helped to build during the segregation era. African American families in the South built schools of many different kinds from Reconstruction through the 1950s.

Rosenwald schools The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the Education in the United States, United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the Southern United States, South during the ear ...

form the most recognizable part of this school-building movement. Rosenwald schools were schools that African American communities built in partnership with the

Julius Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

, which from 1912 to 1932 helped to build almost 5,000 school buildings across the South. Claudia received her bachelor's degree in 1988 from St. John's College. In 1992, Claudia graduated with a master's degree from

Harvard University Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first Harvard school ...

. Claudia has written articles and books on education, African American school history, Rosenwald schools, and rural life. Her book Rosenwald School Reflections: Documentation and Preservation is a practical guide to documenting and preserving Rosenwald schools. Claudia has worked closely with Historic Wilmington Foundation and community groups on several Rosenwald school restoration projects. Claudia Stack's documentaries about Rosenwald Schools, including “Under the Kudzu” (2012) and “Carrie Mae: An American Life” (2015), have been screened at

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

Conferences and at many other venues. In 2009, Claudia started a conference at

UNC Wilmington The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW or UNC Wilmington) is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 17,499 undergraduate and graduate students eac ...

(UNCW) to celebrate African American educational heritage. Working with UNCW's Watson School of Education, the Department of History, and the Upperman African American Cultural Center, Claudia continues her involvement with this conference. The African American Educational Heritage Conference takes place on UNCW's campus every other year. Claudia's documentary film work about historic African American schools has earned several awards. In June 2012 Claudia presented her film, “Under the Kudzu” at the first National Trust for Historic Preservation Rosenwald school conference, held at

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

. Claudia's film, “Carrie Mae: An American Life” premiered at the

Cameron Art Museum The Cameron Art Museum, formerly known as St. John's Museum of Art, was established in 1962 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, ...

in Wilmington, North Carolina in November 2014 and was also showcased at the 2015 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference Rosenwald school conference in Durham, North Carolina. “Carrie Mae: An American Life” also won the bronze award at the 2015 International Independent Film Awards. Articles about her work have appeared in Harvard University's “Ed.” magazine, the StarNews newspaper, “Costco Connection” magazine, and other publications. Other honors and awards that Claudia has received include the 2011 David Brinkley Preservationist of the Year award, the 2012 Director's Choice Award at the Cape Fear Independent Film Festival, and the 2012 Gertrude S. Carraway Preservation Award. Claudia is working on a 90-minute film documentary titled
Sharecrop
about sharecropping and farming during the segregation era. This film project is supported by a grant from the Middle Road Foundation. She has a webpage featuring her work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stack, Claudia 1966 births Living people American documentary filmmakers American women educators Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni 21st-century American women American women documentary filmmakers