Roosevelt Junior College was an institution serving

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensla ...

students, located on an 18-acre campus at 1235 Fifteenth Street in

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

. It took its name from the adjacent black Roosevelt High School, named in honor of former U.S. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. It opened its doors in 1958, and for its first year was located in the facilities of Roosevelt High School, which was merged with

Palm Beach High School Palm Beach Lakes Community High School, also known as Lakes or PBL, is a coeducational public high school located in the Palm Beach Lakes community of West Palm Beach, Florida. It is under the jurisdiction of the School District of Palm Beach ...

in 1970 to create Twin Lakes High School. Its first and only president was Britton G. Sayles (also principal of Roosevelt High School). It was authorized and jointly supported by the State of Florida under the Minimum Foundation Program Law passed in 1947 by the

Florida Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Con ...

. When founded, it was one of 11 black junior colleges in the state of Florida founded to resist ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

'' by showing that "

separate but equal Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law, according to which racial segregation did not necessarily violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which nominally guaranteed "equal protecti ...

" higher education was available for African Americans; none survive today (2018). It was abruptly closed by the Palm Beach County Board of Public Instruction in 1965, leaving a bitterness which endures among its surviving staff and alumni. According to President Sayles, "the entire process was handled very unprofessionally." While sometimes it is said to have merged with Palm Beach Junior College (today

Palm Beach State College Palm Beach State College is a public college in Lake Worth, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 27,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, assoc ...

), which began integration "sparingly" in 1963, this is not the recollection of those associated with the college. "There was no merger. They closed it, and there was never any mention of it. That was the end of it." According to President Sayles, six faculty, including two librarians, were transferred to Palm Beach Junior College; the rest lost their jobs. At its peak, the College had 18 faculty and staff and 200 students. It was accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

and was authorized to award the

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The ...

degree. The following programs were offered: General Education (with majors in Science, Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental), General Business, Pre-Teaching, Pre-Law, Secretarial. Terminal programs were offered in General Education and Business. In 2005, surviving alumni and staff held a reunion luncheon; the program of the luncheon describes the faculty as "very close knit". Palm Beach Community College named a building at its Lake Worth campus for Sayles in 2003, and in 2006 held a dedication ceremony for the newly renovated Britton G. Sayles Social Science Building."Britton Sayles Building", http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/history/roosevelt-junior-college/britton-sayles-building.aspx, retrieved August 15, 2015.

References

External links

Roosevelt Junior College Oral History Project

Digitized resources about Roosevelt Junior College (bulletins, yearbooks, commencement programs, student newspapers).
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1958 Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges in Palm Beach County, Florida Educational institutions disestablished in 1965 West Palm Beach, Florida Two-year colleges in the United States Buildings and structures in West Palm Beach, Florida Florida's black junior colleges 1958 establishments in Florida 1965 disestablishments in Florida Defunct public schools in Palm Beach County, Florida Defunct private universities and colleges in Florida

See also

References

External links