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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Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon, 2020
Book
2020s

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon, 2020

Multiple
A children's biography of architect Philip Freelon, the designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, tracing his path from student to landmark builder.
Other Researchers
Phillip L. Clay
Oral History
1990s

Phillip Clay: Reflections on the Black Experience at MIT, 1996

Multiple
An oral history interview with MIT Chancellor Phillip L. Clay, reflecting on the Black experience at the Institute and his own journey from student to the first Black department head at MIT.
MIT Black History Project
Article
2010s

Creating a STEM-based Economic Pillar for the Caribbean: A Blueprint, 2019

Multiple
A 2019 policy blueprint proposing a STEM-driven economic development model for Caribbean nations seeking to reduce debt and diversify beyond tourism.
Other Researchers
Range distribution of 122 Mev (pi⁺) and (pi⁻) mesons in brass
Thesis
1950s

Range distribution of 122 Mev (pi⁺) and (pi⁻) mesons in brass

Student
An MIT thesis by Harold Amos on the distribution of high-energy pi mesons in brass, representing early Black scholarship in experimental nuclear physics.
Other Researchers
Proving Einstein Right: The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe, 2019
Book
2010s

Proving Einstein Right: The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe, 2019

Alum
A book by MIT alumnus S. James Gates Jr. '73 recounting the dramatic 1919 expeditions that tested Einstein's theory of general relativity and transformed our understanding of the universe.
Other Researchers
The Purpose Path, 2019
Book
2010s

The Purpose Path: A Guide to Pursuing Your Authentic Life's Work, 2019

Alum
A book by MIT alumnus Nicholas Pearce offering a framework for pursuing meaningful, purpose-driven work grounded in authentic values and spiritual calling.
Other Researchers
Phil Freelon
Article
2010s

What I Wish I Knew: An Untold History of African-American Architects (2016)

Multiple
An article by MIT architect Philip Freelon MArch '77, recounting his discovery of overlooked African American contributions to architecture and his lifelong commitment to diverse design.
Other Researchers
Learning How To Fly, 2018
Book
2010s

Learning How To Fly, 2018

Alum
A debut poetry collection by MIT alumnus Etienne Toussaint '07, exploring Black identity, belonging, and the weight of history and racism in America.
Other Researchers
Thesis
1970s

International joint venture with a government partner case study: copper mining in Zambia, 1972

Alum
A 1994 MIT thesis analyzing international joint ventures with government partners in developing economies, using a copper mining case study.
Other Researchers
Type
Timeline
Including the Excluded: Concepts for Successful Integration of the US Academy, 2014
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
A lecture by MIT professor James Sherley on concepts for integrating underrepresented groups into the US scientific enterprise, delivered at a Johns Hopkins retreat.
Faculty
Civil Rights, the War on Poverty, and Black-White Convergence in Infant Mortality in the Rural South and Mississippi, 2006
Paper
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Paper
A 2006 public health study examining how civil rights legislation and the War on Poverty drove convergence in Black and white infant mortality rates in the rural South.
Faculty
Black Capitalism and Black Supermarkets, 1969
Paper
2017
Other Researchers
1960s
Other Researchers
1960s
Paper
A 1969 article by MIT economist Gordon Bloom examining the economics and social dimensions of Black-owned businesses and supermarkets in urban America.
Faculty
MIT's Black Hole: Dr. James L. Sherley is just the latest professor to protest the lack of Black tenured faculty at MIT, 2007
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
An article examining the broader pattern of Black faculty departures from MIT, placing the James Sherley case in the context of a longer institutional history.
No items found.
An Avoidable Black Eye for MIT: Professor James Sherley Is Dismissed and His Laboratory Padlocked, 2007
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
An analysis of the 2007 termination of MIT stem-cell researcher James L. Sherley, whose dismissal and hunger strike sparked a campus-wide debate on race and tenure.
No items found.
It's No Picnic for Black Faculty at MIT, 2007
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
A 2007 study documenting that Black faculty represent only about 3 percent of MIT's total faculty, analyzing the barriers to recruitment and retention.
No items found.
MIT's Mea Culpa: Now, What About Black Faculty?, 1999
Article
2017
Other Researchers
1990s
Other Researchers
1990s
Article
A 1999 analysis of MIT's landmark report on discrimination against women faculty, and whether its findings would prompt similar action for Black faculty.
No items found.
The Scientific Development of the Negro, 1911
Paper
2017
Other Researchers
1910s
Other Researchers
1910s
Paper
A paper delivered by Robert Robinson Taylor '92 at MIT's 50th anniversary celebration in 1911, arguing for the scientific education of Black Americans as a path to progress.
Alum
The Civil Engineer, 1946
Article
2017
Other Researchers
1940s
Other Researchers
1940s
Article
An article profiling Lewis King Downing '24, the first Black graduate of MIT's Sloan School, who went on to a distinguished career as a civil engineer and college president.
Alum
The Desegregation of an Elite Economics Department’s PhD Program: Black Americans at MIT, 2014
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
An article tracing the history of Black PhD students in MIT's economics department from the 1970s onward, examining barriers to entry and outcomes over four decades.
Alum
The African-American Linguist Who Broke the Faculty Barrier at MIT, 1997
Article
2017
Other Researchers
1990s
Other Researchers
1990s
Article
An article documenting how Joseph Applegate, MIT's first Black faculty member, broke the faculty color barrier as a linguist in 1955 and paved the way for those who followed.
No items found.
The battle for ‘Trayvon Martin’: Mapping a media controversy online and off-line, 2014
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
An academic article by MIT professor Sasha Costanza-Chock analyzing how the Trayvon Martin case spread through social media and shaped public discourse on race and violence.
Faculty
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