Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom

The Campus Color Line is a book that explores how college presidents shaped the struggle for racial equality in the United States between 1948 and 1968. It reveals how they initiated and shaped racial policies and practices, sometimes precariously, amid conflicting interests and demands. The book highlights the legacy of these academic leaders' actions and their continued influence on the unfinished struggle for Black freedom and racial equity in education and beyond.

Format: Hardback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 29 September 2020
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The remarkable and ambitious origins story, as described by Ibram X. Kendi, a National Book Award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. The history of how college presidents shaped the struggle for racial equality is presented in this essay. Some of America's most pressing civil rights issues, such as desegregation, equal educational and employment opportunities, housing discrimination, and free speech, have been closely intertwined with higher education institutions. Although it is commonly known that college students, other activists, and politicians actively participated in the fight for and against civil rights in the middle decades of the twentieth century, historical accounts have not adequately focused on the roles that the nations college presidents played in the debates concerning racism.

The Campus Color Line, a book based on archival research conducted at a range of colleges and universities across the United States, sheds light on the important place of college presidents in the struggle for racial parity. Focusing on the period between 1948 and 1968, Eddie Cole shows how college presidents, during a time of violence and unrest, strategically, yet often silently, initiated and shaped racial policies and practices inside and outside of the educational sphere. With courage and hope, as well as malice and cruelty, college presidents positioned themselves—sometimes precariously—amid conflicting interests and demands.

Black college presidents challenged racist policies as their students demonstrated in the streets against segregation, while presidents of major universities lobbied for urban renewal programs that displaced Black communities near campus. Some presidents amended campus speech practices to accommodate white supremacist speakers, even as other academic leaders developed the national curriculum.

In conclusion, the history of how college presidents shaped the struggle for racial equality is a complex and multifaceted one. While college students, other activists, and politicians played critical roles, college presidents also played a significant role in shaping the debates and policies surrounding racism. The Campus Color Line provides a valuable insight into the important place of college presidents in this historical narrative.

Weight: 748g
Dimension: 166 x 244 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691206745