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Location: AC.3.A.2.6.1 - AC.3.A.3.1.3

Dr. Gilbert Lawrence Porter was an educational pioneer in the state of Florida who devoted more than five decades of his life to advancing educational equality during the era of segregation and desegregation. Born on January 6, 1909, in Kansas, Porter pursued higher education at Talladega College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry. He later obtained a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in philosophy from The Ohio State University, becoming the first African American to receive this distinguished degree from the institution. Throughout his career, Porter remained committed to improving the quality of education for all students while advocating for equal salaries, professional recognition, and civil rights for African American teachers within a segregated and unequal educational system.

The Gilbert Porter Desegregation Files document Porter’s extensive work in educational reform, particularly in relation to school integration and policy development in Florida. The collection consists of Dade County school reports, national reports on desegregation plans and procedures, and materials related to organizations such as the Florida Conference of Social Welfare and the Florida Conference of Social Work. A significant portion of the collection includes newspaper clippings that highlight race relations and integration efforts in Dade County and throughout the state of Florida.

The records reflect the administrative, social, and political challenges surrounding desegregation and provide insight into the strategies and policies implemented during this transformative period.

Location: AC.8.A.3.3.1 - AC.8.A.3.4.4

DeWitt Everett Williams served as the State Agent of Negro Schools in Florida from 1927 to 1962 under the Florida Department of Education. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing and supporting the development of African American education during the era of segregation. His work placed him in direct contact with schools across the state, documenting their conditions, operations, and communities during a critical period in the history of public education in Florida.

The D. E. Williams Collection consists of six boxes of materials documenting African American education in Florida during the Jim Crow era. The collection primarily contains photographs of segregated African American schools across the state, reflecting both rural and urban educational environments. These images provide visual documentation of school buildings, classrooms, students, and faculty, offering insight into the conditions and experiences within segregated educational systems.

The photographs are arranged alphabetically by county, facilitating geographic access and highlighting regional differences in school infrastructure and resources. Collectively, the collection serves as an important resource for understanding the historical landscape of African American education in Florida and the broader social and institutional context of segregation in the twentieth century.