The 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: Paperback / softback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 29 March 2022
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 the following paragraphs:

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. While it is commonly known that college students, 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 demonstrates how college presidents, during a time of violence and unrest, strategically 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.

The Campus Color Line provides a valuable insight into the complex and often overlooked roles that college presidents played in the struggle for racial equality. It sheds light on the strategies and tactics used by these leaders, as well as the challenges and complexities they faced in navigating the political and social landscape of the time. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the history of higher education and the role it played in shaping American society.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691206769