Education

Two Supreme court cases have dominated the concepts of segregation and integration in not only Florida’s educational system, but across the nation.

1896: Plessy v.Ferguson

Created the doctrine of "Separate but equal," that public accommodations could be segregated by race and still be equal.

1954: Brown v. Board of Education

Struck down the "separate but equal doctrine as fundamentally unequal. This case eliminated state power to use race as a criterion of discrimination in law and provided the national government with the power to intervene by exercising strict regulatory policies against discriminatory actions." (Ginsburg, Lowi, & Weir; 2001, p. 201).

Florida responded by several means . . .

Twelve Original Black Florida Community Colleges

One odd example of Florida’s response the 1954 Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education was to create a separate system of higher education for black Floridians. In 1955, the Florida Community College Council established a separate system of two-year colleges. Twelve community colleges were created soley for African-American students. These colleges continued in existence until the 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation in public education. [For more information, consult The Magnificent Twelve:Florida's Black Junior Colleges, Walter L. Smith, 1994.]