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"The nation’s first Black junior college, Booker T. Washington Junior College, opened in Pensacola, Florida, in 1949 on the campus of all-black Booker T. Washington High School. The two institutions shared a name, a building, and an administrator: Dr. Garrett T. Wiggins.

Dr. Garrett T. Wiggins was, at the time, the only educator in all of northwest Florida with an earned doctorate, and he served as founding (and only) president and dean of the college and principal of the high school and was known as “the smartest man in the county.”

Before landing at Booker T. Washington, Wiggins served on the faculty at Florida A&M University. He’s remembered as “an educational catalyst, dedicated to the concept that black children must realize the importance of receiving an education.”

Booker T. Washington Junior College provided many Black students with a foundation to transfer into Bethune-Cookman College, Edward Waters College, and Florida A&M University with a solid foundation in teaching, medicine, law, and theology.

In 1965, Booker T. Washington “merged” with then Pensacola Junior College, and Wiggins went on to serve as Pensacola Junior College’s Director of Research until his retirement. However, many argue the school was effectively closed, as Pensacola Junior College did not make a great effort to include the Booker T. Washington’s students or faculty into the fabric of the institution.”

https://a2arnett.medium.com/february-10-remembering-dr-garrett-t-wiggins-and-booker-t-washington-junior-college-b1b3d85bf650

Joseph “Joe” Lang Kershaw, Sr. was the first African American legislator elected to the Florida Legislature since Reconstruction. Born on June 27, 1911, in Live Oak, Florida, Kershaw was a 1930s Florida A&M University alumni who saw the beginning of football at the college, pledged Kappa Alpha Psi, and worked as a janitor inside the Florida Legislature. After working as a teacher in what is now known as Miami-Dade County, Kershaw was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1968 and served for 14 years. He also served as chairman of the Elections Committee, where his work led to the formation of the Florida Human Rights Commission. Kershaw died in Miami, Florida, at age 88 on November 7, 1999. The documents in this collection mostly pertain to aspects of his personal and academic life and his role as a legislator in the Florida House of Representatives. It also has documents about his father, A. J. Kershaw, and friends/colleagues like Gwendolyn Cherry and Althea Gibson.

In 1975, James N. Eaton spearheaded the effort that ultimately gave rise to the creation of FAMU’s Black Archives. By 1976, the ‘Black Archives Research Center and Museum’ came into existence, and Eaton was recognized and appointed as its inaugural archivist, curator, and director.

For the next three decades, he helped amass a collection of memorabilia and printed records that now comprise one of the region’s most extensive collections of first-source material relating to the history, culture and contributions of people of African descent living in the United States.

James Eaton constructed in 1976 the first exhibits, using historical memorabilia from his own family. Afterward, he petitioned the university and community members to contribute historical material to the repository. Ilis call was answered by the first Black Archives donors and volunteers, who included: Donald Hill, Frank Pinder, John F. Matheus, and a host of other individuals and groups. Thus, the Research Center was chartered in 1976 and was officially opened in 1977.