Lincoln Junior College

Last updated
Lincoln Junior College
Type Junior college
Active1960 (1960)–1966 (1966)
Location
Fort Pierce
,
Florida
,
U.S.

Lincoln Junior College, located in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States, opened its doors in 1960, at the same time as Indian River Junior College (now Indian River State College), restricted to white students. It was designed to serve Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties. [1] It was one of eleven black community colleges which were founded, at the urging of the Florida Legislature, in the late 1950s and early 1960s to show that a "separate but equal" educational system for blacks existed in Florida; the Legislature wished to avoid the integration mandated by the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954. At the time, there was no nearby college for Negroes, while the distances and lack of funding effectively closed off most local blacks from college. [2]

Initial classes used the facilities of the adjacent Black high school, Lincoln Park Academy. In 1962, a new building added classroom facilities, faculty offices, science laboratories, an administrative unit, a fine arts building, and a student union. [3] Leroy S. Floyd, principal of Lincoln Park Academy, was selected as president of the new institution. In contrast with some of the new presidents, he had eight months to prepare for the September of 1960 opening. [4] With one exception, that all the initial administrators and faculty were also employed in the K-12 school system in St. Lucie County prior to the College's opening. [5]

Offerings included: a college parallel program (64 semester hours) to prepare students for transfer, adult education (preparing for GED), technical offerings in brick masonry, carpentry, waitress training, and technical illustration. [6] The adult program was a part of the evening high school program prior to the College. However, when it became part of the College, enrollment quadrupled from 115 to 446. [7]

Initial enrollment was 98 students. Peak enrollment in its final year (1964–65) was 667 students, of which 221 were in the college parallel program. [8]

In 1964–65 it became apparent that the black institution would soon be merged with Indian River Junior College; the College closed in 1966. It was planned that the Lincoln facility would remain a center of Indian River, but "local political leaders were not ready to promote integrated facilities for the college in the Black community". [9] Uniquely among the twelve black junior colleges, all the full-time faculty became "members of the merged faculty" at Indian River. President Floyd became dean of students at Indian River Junior College. [10]

See also

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Jackson Junior College, in Marianna, Florida, county seat of Jackson County, opened its doors in 1961. It was one of eleven black junior colleges founded in the late 1950s at the initiative of the Florida Legislature. Since racial integration in schools was prohibited in the Florida Constitution of 1885 then in effect, the Legislature wished to avoid the integration mandated in the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954 by demonstrating that a "separate but equal" higher education system existed in Florida for African Americans. Support by local African Americans, who wanted integration, was unenthusiastic.

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Volusia County Junior College, located at 875 Second Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida, opened its doors in 1958. It was one of twelve black junior colleges founded in the late 1950s at the initiative of the Florida Legislature. Since racial integration in schools was prohibited in the Florida Constitution of 1885 then in effect, the Legislature wished to avoid the integration mandated in the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954 by demonstrating that a "separate but equal" higher education system existed in Florida for African Americans.

Collier-Blocker Junior College, located at 1100 N. 19th Street in Palatka, Florida, opened its doors in 1960. It was one of eleven black junior colleges founded in the late 1950s at the initiative of the Florida Legislature. Since racial integration in schools was prohibited in the Florida Constitution of 1885 then in effect, the Legislature wished to avoid the integration mandated in the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954 by demonstrating that a "separate but equal" higher education system existed in Florida for African Americans.

Johnson Junior College, located at 1200 N. Beecher St. in Leesburg, Florida, opened its doors in 1962 for black students at the same time as Lake-Sumter Junior College for white students. It was designed to serve Lake and Sumter Counties. It was one of eleven black community colleges which were founded, at the urging of the Florida Legislature, in the late 1950s and early 1960s to show that a "separate but equal" educational system for blacks existed in Florida; the Legislature wished to avoid the integration mandated by the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954. At the time, there was no nearby college for Negroes, and the distances and lack of funding effectively closed off most local Blacks from college.

References

  1. ↑ Walter L. Smith, The Magnificent Twelve: Florida's Black Junior Colleges, Winter Park, Florida, FOUR-G Publishers, 1994, ISBN   1885066015, p. 228.
  2. ↑ Smith, p. 226.
  3. ↑ Smith p. 239.
  4. ↑ Smith, p. 228.
  5. ↑ Smith, p. 232.
  6. ↑ Smith, p. 235.
  7. ↑ Smith, p. 231.
  8. ↑ Smith, p. 234.
  9. ↑ Smith, p. 241.
  10. ↑ Smith, p. 242.
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