When the walls of racial segregation in higher education in the South began to fall in the early 1950s, it signaled the end of an era in American society that would go on to shape the memories and experiences of many for decades to come.
In Texas, at what is now the University of North Texas; in Louisiana, at what is now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; in Arkansas, at what is now Henderson State University; and a handful of other small institutions, integration opened new doors to Blacks in the region and set the stage for others to follow.
It was not until the early 1960s, when the larger Southern schools still holding on to segregation — Clemson, Ole Miss and Alabama — and scores of their lesser-known peers reluctantly surrendered to the future that the nation really took note. How could they miss it, given the political drama, racial strife and ofttimes hateful conduct that marked some of these final stands?
Today, as many schools celebrate desegregation milestone anniversaries, the impact in the post-segregation era feeds discussion and debate as educators and politicians wrestle to find clear answers to their questions about what desegregation and equal opportunity mean.
For sure, several generations of college-bound Black students and other students of color, particularly those excelling academically or athletically and sometimes both, have found wider opportunities in the post-segregation era. Their enrollment in traditionally White institutions (TWIs) in larger numbers year after year helped dismantle the so-called dual systems of state-controlled higher education. The trend spurred public and private institutions to embrace affirmative action efforts and disproved a widely-held myth that Black students could not achieve in TWIs.
The rapid growth of community colleges in the 1960s and 1970s, with less rigid admissions requirements and lower tuitions, provided even more high school graduates an opportunity to learn. A generation later came distance learning through online institutions, challenging the traditional campus and classroom approach to higher education.
As the expansion took root and diversity increased, a small but growing group of opponents of affirmative action emerged, charging that efforts since the 1950s were tantamount to reverse racism. They have since won some major court and voter referendum battles, chilling many efforts nationwide aimed at energizing what has evolved into diversity.
