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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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
Valerie Jarrett and L. Rafael Reif, 2022
Image
2020s
2022
A 2022 MIT campus event photo featuring Valerie Jarrett and President L. Rafael Reif honoring the legacy of Robert Robinson Taylor, MIT's first Black graduate and first accredited Black architect.
School of Architecture and Planning
Administration
Architecture
No items found.
Education
Government & Law
Family
L. Rafael Reif
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Robert R. Taylor
Tuskegee
Robert Robinson Taylor's diploma, 1892/2022
Image
2020s
2022
Robert Robinson Taylor's 1892 MIT diploma and its 2022 recreation, honoring MIT's first Black graduate. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
Architecture
No items found.
Education
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Robert R. Taylor
Roots and Exponents 1875-1920
Students
2022 Eugene McDermott Award: Pamela Z (2022)
Video
2020s
2022
Pamela Z received the 2022 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT, with a $100K prize and residency. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
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Arts & Humanities
Honors
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Women
General Impressions: Those Big Columns (2016)
Video
2010s
2022
General Impressions: Those Big Columns (2016), interviews with Cambridge community members on MIT history. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
Community
Exhibits
Rising Voices 1995-Present
MIT's Neighborhood (2016)
Video
2010s
2022
MIT's Neighborhood (2016), interviews with Cambridge community members on MIT's role in the city. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
Community
Exhibits
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Sneaking onto Campus: Belly Flops and Basketball (2016)
Video
2010s
2022
Cambridge community members recall sneaking onto MIT campus for sports, 2016 oral history. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
No items found.
No items found.
Chocolate City (CC)
Community
Athletics
Exhibits
Rising Voices 1995-Present
WGBH/WTBS
Frank S. Jones, 1976
Image
1970s
2021
Frank S. Jones, photographed at MIT in 1976, the Institute's first African American tenured faculty member. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
Urban Studies and Planning
No items found.
No items found.
Commencement
Community Fellows Program
Faculty
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Frank S. Jones, Richard Prather, and Thomas Welch, ca. 1970
Image
1970s
2021
Frank S. Jones, Richard Prather, and Thomas Welch, ca. 1970, documenting MIT's first Black tenured faculty. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
Urban Studies and Planning
No items found.
Community
Community Fellows Program
Faculty
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Mentorship
Students
Soft City map, 2022
Image
2020s
2022
Soft City textile map series mapping Black neighborhoods in the Boston area, 2022. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Architecture and Planning
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Architecture
No items found.
Arts & Humanities
Community
Data
Exhibits
Rising Voices 1995-Present
Students
Women
Convocation, 2022
Image
2020s
2022
MIT Convocation 2022: President Reif welcomes 1,139 incoming students from 50 states and 65 countries. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
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Administration
No items found.
Community
Education
Administrators
Family
L. Rafael Reif
Magazine features
Melissa Nobles
W. Ahmad Salih, 1972
Image
1970s
2017
A 1972 photograph of W. Ahmad Salih, connected to the Black Students' Union's efforts to establish a radio presence serving Boston's Black community through MIT's WTBS station.
School of Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Arts & Humanities
Community
Health & Medicine
Activism
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Music
Pop Culture
Students
Shirley Jackson, ca. 1973
Image
1970s
2022
Shirley Ann Jackson, MIT Class of 1968 and PhD 1973, photographed ca. 1973. Part of the MIT Black History Project archive.
School of Science
Physics
Black Students' Union (BSU)
Science
Activism
Integration and Differentiation 1969-1994
Shirley A. Jackson
Students
Women
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