Civil Rights and Broward Junior College (1960–1964), 1960-1964
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Broward College
- Extent:
- 3 Linear Feet 4 boxes
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
Record Group 849, Civil Rights and Broward Junior College, Broward College Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
This collection documents the struggle for racial integration at Broward Junior College during the early 1960s. The files include newspaper clippings, editorials, legal documents, catalogues, brochures, photographs (JPGs referenced), correspondence, and retrospective scholarly notes.
The materials chart the establishment of a segregated Black "branch campus," the organized protests against it, and the eventual lawsuits pressing for full desegregation. Also included are catalogues from the segregated campus, a segregated yearbook (1963 Silver Sands), retrospective exhibits, and correspondence honoring participants in the civil rights struggle.
Researchers will find documentation of resistance to integration, the development of Florida's segregated "Magnificent 12" Black junior colleges, as well as highly local accounts of Broward's institutional choices during this volatile time.
- Biographical / historical:
The Junior College of Broward County (now Broward College) opened its doors in August 1960 as part of the newly developing Florida Community College System. The system itself had roots in the early 1950s and expanded rapidly during the 1960s. However, during this era, Florida developed a dual plan for higher education: historically white community colleges and segregated junior colleges for Black students.
In 1961, Broward County became a focal point in the struggle for integration. That year, two Black applicants, James Vickers and Constance Nuby, attempted to enroll in the new Junior College but were redirected to a segregated "Negro branch" planned at Dillard High School. Their rejection prompted legal challenges and reflected the broader conflict between state-mandated segregation and the federal push for desegregation following Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
The segregated Negro Junior College Branch of Broward Community College opened under protest, faced boycotts, and was ultimately short-lived. By 1963, the branch was closed, and the path toward integration gradually emerged, though not without resistance and hardship.
- Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in four boxes, each organized chronologically:
Box 1: Newspaper articles and clippings, 1960–1963
Box 2-4: This series consists of three boxes containing foam core mounts, which are lightweight, rigid boards used to display prints, labels, or panels featured in the exhibit "Broward College During the Civil Rights Era" (first exhibited in 2010). The mounts in this series were created in 11"x17" format for use in smaller spaces, distinct from the large foam core panels displayed permanently in Broward College Archives & Special Collections. The content of these mounts was digitized in 2023 by Broward County Library in partnership with Broward College Archives & Special Collections and is accessible online via the Broward County Library Digital Archives portal.
- Material specific details:
- Disclaimer: Comments, observations, opinions, and views contained in these publications were originally published in contemporary newspaper clippings from the South Florida press, including the Fort Lauderdale News, Hollywood Sun-Tattler, and The Miami Herald. The language and viewpoints expressed reflect the social and cultural environment of their times. The content may represent individual opinions, personal reflections, and remembrances of the author(s) and editor(s); these do not necessarily reflect the official views of Broward College, its predecessor institutions (Junior College of Broward County, Broward Junior College, and Broward Community College), either past or present. Broward College and its predecessor institutions are not responsible for, nor do they endorse, any comments, observations, opinions, personal reflections, or remembrances found in these publications. Researchers are advised to consider historical context and authorial perspective when interpreting these materials.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
Open for research. Certain materials may have restrictions due to fragility or privacy.
- Terms of access:
Responsibility for securing copyright permission rests with the researcher. Reproduction is subject to material condition and institutional policy.
- Preferred citation:
Record Group 849, Civil Rights and Broward Junior College, Broward College Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
3501 Davie RoadDavieFL33314USA
