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
James H. Williams, Jr. and the world's largest yo-yo, 1974
Image
1970s
2018
James H. Williams Jr., MIT Class of 1967, builds the world's largest yo-yo with students during IAP, 1974. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Education
Engineering
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Students
Kakamega Secondary School students, 1961
Image
1960s
2018
Students from Kakamega Secondary School in Kenya visit MIT, 1961. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Mathematics
No items found.
Community
Education
Mathematics
Technology
Africa(n)
Critical Mass 1955-1968
STEM Education
Students
Joseph A. Bonner, 1929
Image
1920s
2018
Joseph Andrew Bonner, MIT Class of 1929, Civil Engineering graduate from Boston. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
No items found.
No items found.
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Technique Yearbook
Westervelt A. Taylor, 1927
Image
1920s
2018
Westervelt A. Taylor '27 earned a Civil Engineering degree from MIT in 1927 and went on to become the first African American appointed as Assistant District Attorney in Queens, New York City.
School of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
No items found.
Engineering
Government & Law
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Technique Yearbook
Paul V. Jewell, 1926
Image
1920s
2018
Paul Vernon Jewell, MIT Class of 1926 in Economics, an early Black MIT graduate. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
Sloan School of Management
Economics
Omega Psi Phi
Education
Engineering
Science
Technology
Latinx and Latin America(n)
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Students
Technique Yearbook
Victor C. Smith, 1924
Image
1920s
2017
Victor Claude Smith '24, SM '26, ScD '30 made history as one of the earliest Black graduates to earn three MIT degrees, including a doctorate in the 1930s.
School of Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Omega Psi Phi
Engineering
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Staff
Students
Technique Yearbook
MIT Track, 1975 [duplicate]
Image
1970s
2018
MIT Track team, 1975, documenting Black student athletes at the Institute. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
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Athletics
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Students
Technique Yearbook
Illustration: "Brass Shield" by Alyssa Napier, 2015
Document
2010s
2017
Brass Shield, illustration by MIT chemistry major Alyssa Napier for her column in The Tech, 2015. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Chemistry
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Black Women's Alliance (BWA)
Arts & Humanities
Education
Activism
Brass Rat
Illustrations
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
Comic strip: "Impostor Syndrome" by Alyssa Napier, 2015
Document
2010s
2017
Impostor Syndrome, comic strip by MIT chemistry major Alyssa Napier, published in The Tech from 2014. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Chemistry
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Black Women's Alliance (BWA)
Arts & Humanities
Education
Illustrations
Recruitment
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
Women
TRANSCRIPT: "Persuading Talented Teenagers to Dream Bigger" by Shirley A. Jackson, 2013
Document
2000s
2018
Shirley Jackson's 2013 BAMIT address on persuading talented teenagers to dream bigger. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
Black Alumni/ae of MIT (BAMIT)
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Community
Education
Honors
Kristala Jones Prather
Paula T. Hammond
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Shirley A. Jackson
BSU 50th Reunion invitation, 2018
Document
2010s
2018
Invitation to BSU 50th anniversary reunion at MIT, April 20-22, 2018, with the BAMIT Capstone celebration. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
Black Alumni/ae of MIT (BAMIT)
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Community
Critical Mass 1955-1968
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
Bernice Williams at Interphase, 1974
Image
1970s
2018
Bernice Williams at MIT Project Interphase, 1974, later earning a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1978. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
MIT Gospel Choir
Arts & Humanities
Education
Engineering
Technology
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Interphase
Students
Women
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