Publications

Publications

The MIT Black History Project is committed to collecting, developing, curating, and preserving content on the Black experience at MIT dating back to 1865. We are also currently working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the challenges we all face within the greater scope of the Institute’s mission and accomplishments.

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Ron McNair in The Physics of Karate, 1979
Article
1970s

The Physics of Karate, 1979

Faculty
A Scientific American article co-authored by MIT physicist Ronald McNair PhD '77 and his mentor Michael Feld, analyzing the biomechanics behind how martial artists break boards with bare hands.
Other Researchers
Michael Feld and Ron McNair
Article
2010s

Counteracting Hate with Positive Diversity Stories, 2017

Alum
A 2017 article examining the friendship between MIT physicist Michael Feld and a Black colleague, and how their bond became a model for countering hate with positive diversity.
Other Researchers
Soldiers' Home
Thesis
1890s

A Soldiers Home, 1892

Student
An 1892 architectural thesis by Robert Robinson Taylor, MIT's first Black graduate, documenting a design for a soldiers' home and marking a historic first in American architectural education.
Other Researchers
Dallas Brown
Thesis
1910s

Comparative wearing tests on different makes of globe and gate valves, 1910

Student
The 1910 MIT thesis of Dallas Brown Jr. '10, one of the Institute's early Black graduates, on comparative wear testing of industrial valves used in mechanical engineering.
Other Researchers
Page from The Negro Farmer
Article
1910s

The Negro Farmer [excerpt]

Alum
An article excerpt by Robert Robinson Taylor '92 written for MIT's 1913 Negro Farmer publication, describing the work of training Black agricultural professionals at Tuskegee.
Other Researchers
Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America, 2013
Book
2010s

Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America, 2013

Faculty
A history of Bengali Muslim immigrants in early 20th-century America, tracing forgotten communities in Harlem and beyond, by MIT professor Vivek Bald.
Other Researchers
Crazy Enough To Try, 2015
Book
2010s

Crazy Enough To Try, 2015

Alum
A 2015 book by MIT-connected author Joi Gordon encouraging readers to integrate personal passion into their professional lives, drawing on her own journey from student to nonprofit leader.
Other Researchers
This Is How You Lose Her, 2012
Book
2010s

This Is How You Lose Her, 2012

Faculty
A novel by MIT professor Junot Diaz following the passions and losses of Yunior, a Dominican-American man navigating love and identity across New Jersey and the Caribbean.
Other Researchers
Phantasmal Media, 2013
Book
2010s

Phantasmal Media, 2013

Faculty
A 2013 MIT Press book by D. Fox Harrell examining how computing systems shape imagination, identity, memory, and social experience.
Other Researchers
Type
Timeline
MIT's Minority Success Record, 1988
Article
2017
MIT Black History Project
1980s
MIT Black History Project
1980s
Article
A 1988 report examining MIT's record of minority student success, including enrollment, graduation, and outcomes data for Black and other underrepresented students.
Administrator
From 'Tech' to Tuskegee, 1998
Article
2017
MIT Black History Project
1990s
MIT Black History Project
1990s
Article
A 1998 article tracing the deep historical ties between MIT and Tuskegee Institute, from Robert Robinson Taylor's graduation in 1892 through decades of shared mission.
Administrator
Illuminating the successes and struggles of MIT Black history, 2023
Article
2023
MIT Black History Project
2020s
MIT Black History Project
2020s
Article
A 2023 MIT News profile of the MIT Black History Project, documenting its mission to research and preserve over 150 years of Black life and achievement at the Institute.
Multiple
The long path to inclusivity, 2020
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Article
A Technology Review article reflecting on MIT's decade-long progress following the 2010 Hammond report on faculty race and diversity, assessing what changed and what didn't.
No items found.
Report of The Initiative for Faculty Race and Diversity, 2010
Report
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Report
A report from MIT's Initiative for Faculty Race and Diversity, examining the state of Black and minority faculty representation and making recommendations for improvement.
Faculty
Archival Elements (2021)
Article
2023
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Article
The 2021 issue of the Society of American Archivists newsletter featuring MIT Black History Project coverage on archival methods and culturally significant collections.
No items found.
The Negro at the College Door, 1964
Article
2022
Other Researchers
1960s
Other Researchers
1960s
Article
An article documenting the 1964 MIT Conference on Negro College Summer Institutes and its efforts to improve college preparation for Black students from underserved high schools.
Multiple
Wonder Women of Science: How 12 Geniuses Are Rocking Science, Technology, and the World (2021)
Book
2022
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Book
A children's book by MIT alumna Tiera Fletcher '17 and co-authors profiling 12 women scientists and engineers rocking STEM, with Fletcher herself as one of the featured subjects.
Alum
Science must overcome its racist legacy: Nature’s guest editors speak, 2022
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Article
An article from Nature featuring MIT-affiliated scholars calling on the scientific community to reckon with its racist history and actively work toward decolonizing research.
Multiple
Vital Difference: The Role of Race in Building Community (2004)
Report
2022
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Report
A report by MIT's Center for Reflective Community Practice arguing that race, far from being divisive, can play a central role in building democratic participation in underserved communities.
Faculty
Slavery and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital, 2005
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
An article by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu measuring how much economic harm was transmitted across generations from slavery, quantifying the long-run costs of historical oppression.
No items found.
Studying While Black: Trust, Opportunity, and Disrespect, 2014
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
An article examining how race shapes trust and opportunity in educational settings, and what institutions can do to close achievement gaps and reduce disrespect toward Black students.
Faculty
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