Carver Junior College facts for kids
| Type | Junior college |
|---|---|
| Active | 1960–1963 |
| Location |
,
,
U.S.
|
Carver Junior College was a school in Cocoa, Florida. It was started in 1960 by the Brevard County school board. This college was created especially for black students. At the same time, another college, Brevard Junior College (now Eastern Florida State College), was opened for white students. Carver Junior College was named after George Washington Carver, a famous agricultural researcher.
This college, like many others for black students in Florida, was set up because of a state law from 1957. This law aimed to keep schools separate for different races, which was called racial segregation. This idea of "separate but equal" schools was meant to show that even with segregation, facilities could be fair. This happened after the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separate schools were not equal. Before these new colleges, there were only a few public colleges for black students in Florida.
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Leading the College
The only President of Carver Junior College was James R. Greene. He was also the principal of the local black high school, Monroe Senior High School. In 1962, a new building for Carver Junior College was finished. It was right next to the high school and was paid for by the Florida Department of Education.
Student Numbers
The number of students at Carver Junior College changed each year:
- 1960-61 school year: 168 students
- 1961-62 school year: 263 students
- 1962-63 school year: 143 students
Why the College Closed
Many people in the black community wanted all schools to be open to everyone, not just separate ones. So, they were not very excited about these new separate colleges. The NAACP, a group that works for civil rights, told the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that the college was costing a lot of money (about $100,000 each year). They also pointed out that not many students were attending, and the college was using high school teachers and buildings. They felt the education was not good enough.
In 1963, because not enough students were enrolling, the school board decided to close Carver Junior College. It was merged with Brevard Community College (which is now Eastern Florida State College). The Carver site continued to offer classes for one more year (1963-64). This allowed students who had already started their programs to finish. After 1964, no more college classes were held at the Carver site. The buildings were then used by Monroe High School.
Remembering Carver Junior College
In the 1990s, Brevard Community College named a new building the George Washington Carver Administrative Center. Inside this building, they placed a portrait of President James R. Greene to honor his work.
