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
No items found.
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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No items found.
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
Letter from Arthur D. Jewell to The Crisis, 1932
Document
1930s
2022
Arthur Doles Jewell, MIT Class of 1932, writes to The Crisis announcing his MIT graduation achievement. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Education
Commencement
Honors
Magazine features
NAACP
Order of Operations 1921-1945
William W. Cooke, ca. mid-1900s
2022
William Wilson Cooke (1871–1949) attended MIT and became the first Black man employed in the Office of the Supervising Architect at the U.S. Treasury Department, and later the first licensed Black architect in Indiana.
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MIT Solar Car: "I Love Black," 2020
Image
2020s
2020
MIT Solar Car team produces I Love Black video, 2020, celebrating Blackness and STEM innovation. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Community
Engineering
Technology
Transportation
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
George L. Washington, 1925
Image
1920s
2018
George Leward Washington, MIT BS 1925 and MS 1930 in Mechanical Engineering, educated by the Boston Rotary Club. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Education
Engineering
Military
Transportation
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Technique Yearbook
Tuskegee
Berenice Belizaire: Bigs & Littles NYC Mentor of the Year, 2022
Image
2020s
2022
Berenice Belizaire, MIT 1997, named Bigs and Littles NYC Mentor of the Year, 2022, for sustained mentorship. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
No items found.
Community
Honors
Mentorship
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Women
Edward S. Hope, 1926
Image
1920s
2017
Edward Swain Hope, MIT BS 1926 and SM 1927, son of Morehouse president John Hope, pledged Alpha Phi Alpha at MIT. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Alpha Phi Alpha
Education
Engineering
Government & Law
Military
Edward S. Hope
HBCUs
Howard University
Middle East
Morehouse
James C. Evans, 1925
Image
1920s
2017
James Carmichael Evans, MIT BS 1925 and MS 1926 in Electrical Engineering, a pioneering Black MIT alumnus. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
School of Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Architecture
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
No items found.
Government & Law
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Family
Howard University
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Mentorship
Freedom Rider: Charles Person, 1961
Image
1960s
2022
Charles Person, Freedom Rider, on his aspiration to be a scientist before joining the civil rights movement. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
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No items found.
Community
Education
Activism
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Morehouse
STEM Education
Rufus P. Turner with early radio, 1926
Image
1920s
2022
Rufus P. Turner, MIT Class of 1926, builds a miniature radio exhibited at the World's Fair. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
Engineering
Technology
Magazine features
NAACP
Order of Operations 1921-1945
F. A. Gregory, ca. 1930
Image
1930s
2022
F. A. Gregory, MIT MS 1932, listed as a distinguished graduate in a 1932 Crisis issue on Black graduates. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
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No items found.
No items found.
Case Institute of Technology (Case Western)
Greek Life
Honors
Magazine features
NAACP
Arthur D. Jewell, ca. 1930
Image
1930s
2022
Arthur D. Jewell, ca. 1930, wrote to The Crisis upon his 1932 MIT graduation in General Engineering. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
No items found.
Education
Howard University
NAACP
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Arthur D. Jewell, 1932
Image
1930s
2017
Arthur D. Jewell, MIT 1932, became the first Black administrator at Eastern High School, Detroit, 1954. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Education
Howard University
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Technique Yearbook
No results found.
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