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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Jim Gates
Thesis
1970s

Symmetry Principles in Selected Problems of String Theory, 1973

Student
A 1973 MIT doctoral thesis by S. James Gates Jr., the first thesis ever devoted to supersymmetry in physics, marking a landmark in theoretical particle physics.
Other Researchers
Ebony Affair 2016
Article
1990s

Ebony Affair: Twenty Years of Ebony, 1995

Student
Program booklet for the 1995 Ebony Affair, MIT's 20th annual celebration organized by the Black Students' Union showcasing Black student achievement and community.
Other Researchers
Melissa Nobles: All About the Count, 2007
Article
2000s

Melissa Nobles: All About the Count, 2007

Faculty
A 2007 MIT News profile of political science professor Melissa Nobles, whose research on racial classification and census politics shaped policy debates internationally.
Other Researchers
Mens et Mania: The MIT Nobody Knows, 2011
Book
2010s

Mens et Mania: The MIT Nobody Knows, 2011

Administrator
A behind-the-scenes memoir by MIT linguistics professor Jay Keyser, offering a candid and witty portrait of life at the Institute away from its public-facing reputation.
Other Researchers
Article
1990s

The Territory Between Us: A Report on "Black Women in the Academy..." 1994

No items found.
An article by scholar Saidiya Hartman reporting on the landmark 1994 'Black Women in the Academy' conference held at MIT, attended by over 2,000 scholars and activists.
Other Researchers
MIT meets with insurance companies, 1976
Article
1970s

Black Firms to Share MIT Life Insurance Business, 1976

Administrator
A 1976 MIT report documenting the Institute's decision to share life insurance business with two major Black-owned insurance companies as part of its diversity commitments.
Other Researchers
William Barton Rogers and the Idea of MIT, 2008
Book
2000s

William Barton Rogers and the Idea of MIT, 2008

Administrator
A book tracing the educational vision of MIT founder William Barton Rogers, placing his ideas about polytechnic education in the context of 19th-century American science and reform.
Other Researchers
Cover of Nature (September 2004)
Article
2000s

Inscribed matter as an energy-efficient means of communication with an extraterrestrial civilization, 2004

Alum
A 2004 MIT thesis exploring inscribed matter as an energy-efficient method for interstellar or long-duration communication scenarios.
Other Researchers
Holding the Center: Memoirs of a Life in Higher Education, 1999
Book
1990s

Holding the Center: Memoirs of a Life in Higher Education, 1999

Administrator
The memoirs of Howard Wesley Johnson, MIT's 12th president, reflecting on his career leading the Institute through decades of social and institutional change.
Other Researchers
Type
Timeline
Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities: Building Bridges of Hope through the Holy Spirit, 2015
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A book by MIT alumnus exploring the intersection of racism, health disparities, and spiritual well-being, drawing on theology and public health to propose a path toward healing.
Alum
Ron's Big Mission, 2009
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Book
A children's picture book about young Ron McNair's determined trip to a segregated library in 1959, a pivotal moment that set the future MIT physicist and astronaut on his path.
Alum
Abundance of Miracles: Autobiography of Charles A. Cofield, 2013
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
The autobiography of Charles A. Cofield, MIT Class of 1972, tracing his path from Howard University student on the night of MLK's assassination to architect and community builder.
Alum
Song of the Water Saints: A Novel, 2002
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Book
A debut novel by MIT writing professor Nelly Rosario tracing three generations of Dominican women across continents, blending poetic prose with the weight of memory and migration.
Alum
Tackling Jim Crow: Racial Segregation in Professional Football, 2003
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Book
A book documenting the history of racial segregation in professional football, with a focus on MIT alumnus William Arthur Johnson who broke the color barrier in the NFL.
No items found.
The MIT Experience: Personal Perspectives on Race in a Predominantly White University, 2004
Article
2017
MIT Black History Project
2000s
MIT Black History Project
2000s
Article
An article by MIT's Clarence G. Williams reflecting on his experiences of race at the Institute, published as a chapter in a volume on diversity in higher education.
Administrator
William Barton Rogers and the Southern Sieve, 2005
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
An article examining the complicated relationship between MIT founder William Barton Rogers, his scientific career in the antebellum South, and the institution of slavery.
Administrator
The Serious Search for Black Faculty at MIT, 1995
Article
2017
Other Researchers
1990s
Other Researchers
1990s
Article
An article documenting MIT's 1995 efforts to recruit Black faculty, naming the eight tenured Black professors then at the Institute and examining the barriers to diversification.
Faculty
The Gilded Years, 2016
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A novel by Karin Tanabe based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, who passed as white at Vassar in 1897, with a fictional subplot involving her brother, a connection to MIT.
Alum
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Facing the Future, 2012
Paper
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Paper
A 2012 study examining the challenges facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities and proposing strategies for their long-term sustainability and relevance.
Faculty
A Widening Sphere: Evolving Cultures at MIT, 2011
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A 2011 MIT Press book tracing the evolution of MIT's culture from its 1861 founding through more than a century of growth, diversity, and institutional transformation.
Administrator
Countless Connecting Threads, 2013
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A 2013 illustrated history of MIT celebrating the interconnected contributions of its faculty, students, and alumni across 150 years of science, engineering, and society.
Administrator
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