[3] In 1863, the California State Convention of Colored Citizens was held in San Jose, which helped drum up financial support for the school from the Black community.

[6] The school nevertheless struggled financially, leading journalist Jennie Carter to comment that the constant need to perform at fundraising concerts and exhibitions was an unfortunate distraction for the students.

[11] In 1874, the California Supreme Court established the notion of "separate but equal" schools in Ward v.

[12] That year, the San Jose Board of Education set up its own "colored school", and discontinued its annual appropriation to the Phoenixonian Institute.

[13] Historian W. Sherman Savage wrote in 1976 that "the Phoenixonian Institute was not a great school, but it did show that black citizens were determined that their children should have at least a minimum education.