The History of 2-Year HBCU’s in Mississippi: The Often Overlooked Foundation of Higher Education Access for African Americans

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ABSTRACT The proliferation of 2-year colleges in Mississippi began with institutions that would now be labeled as HBCU’s. The 2-year HBCU was the original avenue to an advanced education for African Americans in Mississippi. This began decades before Mississippi created the first statewide public 2-year college system. Some of these institutions have had the name of community or junior college, but they all offered sub-baccalaureate higher education for African Americans in Mississippi when access to advanced education was greatly needed and terribly limited. These institutions, both those still operating and those lost to the changing higher education environment, did great work under very trying circumstances. Institutions of higher learning were largely founded, led and staffed by African Americans mere years and decades after the end of slavery. The creation of these colleges was a remarkable achievement under dire circumstances, and they left a legacy that should be honored long after the end of legally codified segregation of higher education. It is the purpose of this study to chronicle the history of these 2-year HBCU’s in the state of Mississippi and to shed light on their continuing impact.