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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African American Women Chemists, 2011
Book
2010s

African American Women Chemists, 2011

Alum
A book documenting the overlooked history of African American women who broke racial and gender barriers to become pioneering chemists across the 19th and 20th centuries.
Other Researchers
Jennie R. Patrick
Oral History
2000s

Oral History: Jennie R. Patrick, 2006

Alum
An oral history interview with Dr. Jennie R. Patrick ScD '79, the first Black woman in the US to earn a doctorate in chemical engineering, conducted for the MIT Black History Project.
Other Researchers
African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era, 2018
Book
2010s

African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era, 2018

Multiple
The second volume documenting African American women chemists, focusing on trailblazers from the mid-20th century onward, including several with MIT connections.
Other Researchers
Linda Sharpe_2004
Article
2000s

The Diversity of Diversity: It’s More than Race, 2005

Alum
An article by MIT Chancellor Phillip Clay arguing that true diversity encompasses far more than race, calling for a richer institutional conversation about inclusion.
Other Researchers
Autocracy, Violence, and Ethnomilitary Rule in Nigeria, 1999
Paper
1990s

Autocracy, Violence, and Ethnomilitary Rule in Nigeria, 1999

Visiting
A scholarly paper by MIT political scientist Willard Johnson examining autocracy, ethnic conflict, and military rule in Nigeria, presented at a 1997 MIT conference.
Other Researchers
Kenny Egbuonu
Article
2010s

Because I'm Black, 2018

Student
A personal essay by MIT student Kenny Egbuonu '21 on the experience of being Black at MIT, published in the student journal Angles in 2018.
Other Researchers
An Outline of the Structure of Shilha cover
Book
1950s

An Outline of the Structure of Shilha, 1958

Faculty
A 1958 scholarly work on the structure of Shilha, a Berber language spoken in southwest Morocco, authored by MIT linguist Joseph Applegate.
Other Researchers
Thesis
2000s

The Lost Revolution: Capitalism, democracy and Black citizenship in early 20th-century America's biggest race conflicts, 2007

Student
A 2007 MIT thesis by Kali-Ahset Amen examining how racial conflict and inequality shaped Black citizenship and political agency in early 20th-century America.
Other Researchers
Article
2000s

THE TECH: Perspectives on Diversity, 2004

Student
A student newspaper feature produced as part of MIT's Martin Luther King Jr. Design Seminar, offering diverse personal perspectives on race and diversity at the Institute in 2004.
Other Researchers
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.
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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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