| Type | Junior college |
|---|---|
| Active | 1949 (1949)–1965 (1965) |
| Location | ,, U.S. |
Booker T. Washington Junior College, the first and longest-lasting junior college for African Americans in Florida, was established by theEscambia County school board in 1949. Previously, the only higher education available in Florida to African Americans was atBethune-Cookman College,Edward Waters College,Florida A&M University, andFlorida Memorial College, allhistorically black.
The college, named for the famous black intellectualBooker T. Washington, shared facilities and administrator withBooker T. Washington High School, inPensacola, Florida. Its founding and only president and dean, and principal of the high school, wasGarrett T. Wiggins, the only educator in northwest Florida with an earned doctorate,[1] described as "the smartest man in Escambia County".[2] Its first class, with 23 students, graduated in 1951.[citation needed] At its peak the college enrolled 361 students. In 1965, in response to the pressures for integration, Washington Junior College was closed. It is often said that the college was merged with Pensacola Junior College (nowPensacola State College),[3] but likeRoosevelt Junior College and other Florida black junior colleges, it is more accurate to say it was closed. None of the faculty got similarly paying jobs,[4] and black student enrollment did not transfer en masse to PJC, where students found, at best, an indifferent reception.[5]