Archive

Archive

The MIT Black History Project has archived over 3,000 pieces of history related to the black experience at the Institute dating back to the 1870s. We thank our many donors, volunteers, and stakeholders for making this significant effort possible. Images on this website are subject to copyright laws and may not be duplicated without permission.

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Astronaut candidates R. McNair, G. Bluford, and F. Gregory
Image
1970s

NASA astronaut candidates Ronald McNair, Guion Bluford, and Frederick Gregory, 1978

School of Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
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Science
Technology
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Magazine features
NASA
Ronald E. McNair
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Bennie F. L. Ward, 2025
2020s

Bennie F. L. Ward, 2025

School of Science
Mathematics
Physics
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Education
Science
Conferences
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
MIT Quarter Century Club
Rising Voices 1995-Present
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"Sisters in Making" exhibit, 2024
Image
2020s

MIT Libraries "Sisters in Making" exhibit, 2024

School of Architecture and Planning
Architecture
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Engineering
Government & Law
Science
Technology
Exhibits
NASA
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
Women
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MIT Spotlight: Martin Luther King Day, 2024
Image
2020s

MIT Spotlight: Martin Luther King Day, 2024

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Community
Activism
Administrators
Illustrations
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Latinx and Latin America(n)
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Joseph S. Dunning, 1937
Image
1930s

Joseph S. Dunning, 1937

School of Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
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Community
Technology
Transportation
Harvard
NAACP
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Stanford
Students
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Herbert L. Hardy, 1952
Image
1950s

Herbert L. Hardy, 1952

School of Science
Physics
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Potential Output 1946-1954
Students
Technique Yearbook
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Herbert L. Hardy and boys with electrical equipment, ca. 1951
Image
1950s

Herbert L. Hardy and boys with electrical equipment, ca. 1951

School of Science
Physics
No items found.
Engineering
Potential Output 1946-1954
STEM Education
Students
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John Stroman at MITSO rehearsal, 1977
Image
1970s

John Stroman at MITSO rehearsal, 1977

School of Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
No items found.
Arts & Humanities
Community
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Marcus A. Thompson
Music
Ronald E. McNair
Students
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Philip Abel Adama in a scene from 'Brief Tender Light,' 2023
Audio
2020s

African-born students shine as agents of change in documentary 'Brief Tender Light' (2023)

School of Engineering
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
African Students' Association (ASA)
Arts & Humanities
Community
Africa(n)
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
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Type
Timeline
Darryl Fraser and Leslye Miller Fraser, 2021
Image
2020s
2022
Darryl Fraser and Leslye Miller Fraser, MIT Class of 1978 and 1980, celebrating 50 years of marriage and reunion. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA)
Black Students' Union (BSU)
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Community
Education
Engineering
Government & Law
Family
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Magazine features
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Seminar with Philipp G. Frank, 1956
Image
1950s
2022
Seminar with MIT physicist Philipp G. Frank, 1956, documenting early Institute academic life. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Linguistics and Philosophy
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Arts & Humanities
Education
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Europe(an)
Faculty
Students
Visitors' day, 1965
Image
1960s
2022
A 1965 photograph from MIT's visitors' day, offering a glimpse into campus life and community engagement during the mid-1960s.
School of Engineering
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
No items found.
Education
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Family
Students
Will Smith, 1986
Image
1980s
2017
A 1986 high school photograph of Will Smith, clarifying the often-repeated myth: he was invited to an MIT pre-engineering summer program but never applied to the Institute as a college student.
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Arts & Humanities
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Pop Culture
Recruitment
MIT Logarhythms: "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green (2014)
Video
2010s
2022
MIT Logarhythms a cappella group performs Let's Stay Together by Al Green at spring concert, 2014. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Arts & Humanities
Community
Music
Pop Culture
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
Oral science doctorates, 1977
Image
1970s
2022
MIT nutritional biochemistry professor Robert Harris and oral science doctorates, photographed 1977. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Biology
No items found.
Government & Law
Health & Medicine
Science
Faculty
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Latinx and Latin America(n)
Students
Gustave M. Solomons, 1928
Image
1920s
2017
Gustave M. Solomons, MIT Class of 1928, electrical engineer and Cambridge civic leader. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
No items found.
Education
Engineering
Government & Law
Transportation
Family
Honors
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Technique Yearbook
Bang Orchestra hologram, ca. late 1980s
Image
1980s
2022
Bang Orchestra, late 1980s, MIT-connected group whose 'Sample That' reached No. 5 on Billboard Dance, 1986. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
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No items found.
Arts & Humanities
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Music
Pop Culture
Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter: MIT Mentor Inspires Underrepresented Students To Get Involved In STEM (2022)
Video
2020s
2022
Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter, 2022 MIT MLK Leadership Award recipient, on K-12 STEM outreach at MIT Lincoln Lab. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
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No items found.
Education
Engineering
Science
Technology
Administrators
Honors
Lincoln Lab
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mentorship
Janet Jemmott at SNCC conference, 1964
Image
1960s
2022
Janet Moses, MIT Medical pediatrician and civil rights activist, at a SNCC conference, 1964. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
Administration
No items found.
Health & Medicine
Activism
Africa(n)
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Women
Choreographing the Campus with Adesola Akinleye (2022)
Video
2020s
2022
Adesola Akinleye, MIT CAST Visiting Artist, choreographer and researcher on campus spatial justice, 2022. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Media Arts and Sciences
No items found.
Arts & Humanities
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Women
Wallace Patillo Reed, 1942
Image
1940s
2022
Wallace Patillo Reed, who graduated from an MIT specialized training course on February 14, 1942 to become the first African American meteorologist in the U.S. armed services.
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No items found.
Government & Law
Military
Science
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Tuskegee
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