During The Civil Rights Era Black College Presidents Had A Tough Balancing Act
Historians have documented again and again how college students contributed to the civil rights movement. Less attention has been paid to the role college presidents played in the fight for equality. Here, Eddie R. Cole, author of the book “The Campus Color Line,” discusses various ways these leaders contributed.
1. What pressures did college leaders face in the civil rights era?
College presidents between 1948 to 1968 had to deal with different segments of society that were at complete odds with one another.
On the one hand, they oversaw schools where students were increasingly protesting segregation. But they also had to deal with segregationist politicians who controlled state funding for their institutions. Some of those politicians were not shy about their opposition to the civil rig...