Pragmatic Pessimism in Black Higher Education: The Case of Benner C. Turner

Authors

Travis D. Boyce, San Jose State UniversityFollow

Files

Description

Benner C. Turner, the president of South Carolina State College, a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) was a conservative educator during the Civil Rights Movement, which increasingly demanded activist disobedience from students and faculty. Turner was often accused of authoritarian leadership and of failing to appreciate the significance of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 ruling that effectively made segregation illegal. Yet Turner’s pessimistic understanding of Brown, and his punitive response to student activism, offers an alternate model of academic leadership during times of crisis. His brand of pragmatic pessimism sheds light on some of the issues in Black higher education that we grapple with today, including affirmative action and the recent flux of Black students choosing HBCUs.

About the Author

Dr. Travis D. Boyce is an associate professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies and SJSU’s Faculty Athletics Representative. His research examines a wide range of issues relating to the African American experience. He is the co-editor of “Historicizing Fear: Ignorance, Vilification, and Othering” (University Press of Colorado, 2020) and the author of the forthcoming book “Steady and Measured: Benner C. Turner, A Black College President in the Jim Crow South” (The University of South Carolina Press, 2023). Dr. Boyce is currently working on his next book project, a biography profiling his late grandfather – Mr. A.J. Whittenberg, Sr (1913-2001), whose activism led to the desegregation of public schools in Greenville, South Carolina.

Date of Event

Fall 9-13-2023

Keywords

Pragmatic pessimism, Black higher education, HBCU, Civil rights movements

Disciplines

African American Studies | Political History | United States History

Comments

1 streaming video file (59 min.) : digital, sound, color. Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

Recommended Citation

Boyce, Travis D., "Pragmatic Pessimism in Black Higher Education: The Case of Benner C. Turner" (2023). University Scholar Series. 57.
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/uss/57