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
BSU's The 83's
Image
1980s
2018
The 83's, BSU intramural football team founded ca. 1980, became one of MIT's most successful IM football teams. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Community
Athletics
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Students
"Marked and Scarred" by Kelvin Frazier, 2015
Video
2010s
2017
Marked and Scarred, music video by MIT PhD chemist Kelvin Frazier, former MIT Gospel Choir member, 2015. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Chemistry
Black Alumni/ae of MIT (BAMIT)
Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA)
MIT Gospel Choir
Arts & Humanities
Education
Science
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Music
Pop Culture
Rising Voices 1995-Present
STEM Education
Jones’ Lunch at the Boston campus gymnasium, ca. 1878
Image
1870s
2017
Jones' Lunch at MIT's Boston campus gymnasium, ca. 1878, the earliest photographic Black presence at MIT. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
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Administration
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Community
Education
Administrators
John D. Runkle
MIT Corporation
Roots and Exponents 1875-1920
Staff
Jones's Lunch, ca. 1875
Image
1870s
2017
Jones's Lunch, ca. 1875, the earliest photographic evidence of Black presence at the Institute. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
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No items found.
John D. Runkle
Roots and Exponents 1875-1920
Staff
Henry Brown on the Future of Chemical Engineering Education (2017)
Video
2010s
2017
Henry T. Brown, MIT SMChE 1956, interviewed on the future of chemical engineering education, AIChE, 2017. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Chemical Engineering
No items found.
Community
Education
Engineering
Critical Mass 1955-1968
NAACP
Rising Voices 1995-Present
STEM Education
Reginald Griffith, 1955
Image
1950s
2017
Reginald Griffith, MIT Class of 1955, co-organizer of the 1955 Discrimination Conference at MIT. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
Architecture
Urban Studies and Planning
No items found.
Community
Engineering
Government & Law
Activism
Africa(n)
Bridge Leaders
Caribbean
Conferences
Students working in lab, 1986
Image
1980s
2017
MIT students working in a laboratory, 1986, documenting research life at the Institute. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
Alpha Phi Alpha
Engineering
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Students
Shirley Jackson, 1973
Image
1970s
2017
Shirley Ann Jackson, MIT PhD 1973, one of the first Black women to earn an MIT doctorate. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Physics
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Education
Engineering
Science
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
MIT Corporation
Shirley A. Jackson
Students
Women
Robert R. Taylor, ca. late 1930s
Image
1930s
2017
Robert Robinson Taylor, MIT Class of 1892, photographed ca. late 1930s at Tuskegee Institute. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
Architecture
No items found.
Arts & Humanities
Education
Booker T. Washington
Order of Operations 1921-1945
Robert R. Taylor
Tuskegee
Ronald E. McNair with fellow Challenger crew members, 1986
Image
1980s
2017
Ronald E. McNair with Challenger crew members, 1986, including the STS-51-L mission team. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Physics
Omega Psi Phi
Science
Technology
Transportation
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Michael Feld
NASA
Ronald E. McNair
Northern Student Movement, 1965
Image
1960s
2017
Northern Student Movement, founded 1961, engaging MIT students in civil rights activism, 1965. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
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Education
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Nathan Graham, 1981
Image
1980s
2017
Nathan Graham, photographed at MIT in 1981, documented in the Black History Project collection. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
No items found.
Engineering
Technology
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Students
Technique Yearbook
No results found.
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