The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom by Eddie R. Cole (review)

James Baldwin (1963, as cited in Glaude, 2020) once said: "It is the responsibility of the Negro writer to excavate the real history of this country, … tell us what really happened to get us where we are now. We must tell the truth till we can no longer bear it" (p. 4). Eddie R. Cole brilliantly narrates the untold stories of America's college leaders and their many contributions toward the decolonization of higher education. He also exposes those individuals and structures that thwarted efforts to desegregate postsecondary institutions. Cole's historical research elucidates the fearlessness and sacrifices of these leaders and how the journey of college presidents who served between 1948 and 1968 was fraught with challenges from accreditation agencies and state and federal intervention as well as local politics. There has always been a demand to end the virulent racism present on college campuses; however, Cole is the first to publish a book detailing Black and White college leaders' personal and political battles facing desegregation during the ascension of the civil rights movement. Concomitantly, Cole shares the stories of the college presidents, Black and White, who provided knowledgeable leadership but modeled institutional principles while reimagining and enforcing new policies that deconstructed the status quo while also falling victim to prejudice themselves. The college president career trajectory is unique, and what makes Cole's text inimitable is that it highlights the historical influences of Black leaders at historically Black institutions.

We are enthusiastic about Cole's findings! As a doctoral student, I (Bogard) observe Dr. Howard-Hamilton facing many challenges as a faculty member and an administrator. I am inspired by Dr. Howard-Hamilton's strength, and I long to understand better the challenges faced by Black leaders in higher education. Thus far I found, within the body of literature surrounding Black college administrators, there is a lack of sufficient research on how they succeed in senior administrative roles, such as the college presidency.

As a faculty member, I (Howard-Hamilton) am delighted to finally see from a historical perspective nuanced explanations of the barriers I have had to overcome in my roles as a Black college administrator that perplex and exhaust me. Through his superb archival research for The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom, Cole sheds helpful and necessary light on difficult experiences I have endured as a Black faculty and as an administrator in higher education.

Cole collected, analyzed, and interpreted archival documents highlighting the courage of college presidents and their ability to challenge government leaders. His work reveals how these governmental leaders structured policies that were indeed separate but not equal. These leaders received very little recognition for their roles in shifting campus environments, as noted in chapter 1, "This is a Good Movement: Black Presidents and the Dismantling of Segregation." This chapter created some cognitive dissonance for both of us, because we assumed the struggle for Black freedom would be based on White institutions' resistance in the Southern United States below the Mason-Dixon Line. Morgan State University President Martin David Jenkins is highlighted as a champion who fought the political powers in Maryland. Featuring Jenkins, a Black president at a historically Black college, provides a deeper understanding of how state politicians deliberately as well as systemically created racial educational barriers throughout the United States. Cole details how Black and White college presidents' tactically dismantled racial policies and practices while receiving little to no recognition for their courageous efforts. This chapter foreshadows a theme throughout the book: showing how the professional and personal networks of Black leaders united efforts to end discrimination and to aid in the desegregation of White universities.

Cole exposes how the college campus, the neighborhood in which it resides, and the city where it is located can stereotype the residents and stifle the Black community's economic growth. In the Midwest...