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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Thesis
1970s

Black entrepreneurship in the US: An historical appraisal, contemporary problems and future prospects (a study in demand for entrepreneurship), 1971

Student
A 1971 MIT dissertation by Robert Bofah examining the historical development of Black entrepreneurship in the United States and the structural barriers to its growth.
Other Researchers
The Negro and MIT
Article
1960s

The Negro and MIT, 1968

Student
An essay by MIT student Robert Fleming '71 published in 1968, examining the role and presence of Black students and faculty at the Institute during a pivotal moment in civil rights history.
Other Researchers
Victor C. Smith
Thesis
1930s

A study of homogenous combustion in gases, 1930

Student
The 1930 ScD thesis of Victor Claude Smith, one of the earliest Black doctoral graduates in chemical engineering in the United States, on combustion chemistry at MIT.
Other Researchers
Islandborn, 2018
Book
2010s

Islandborn, 2018

Faculty
A picture book by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz, inspired by a child's longing for her Dominican homeland, celebrating culture, memory, and belonging.
Other Researchers
Thesis
1970s

Coping with Poverty and Prejudice: How Rural Blacks Adapt Environmentally to the Constraints of Society, 1978 [duplicate]

Student
A 1978 MIT thesis (alternate record) examining how poverty and racial prejudice shape the physical environments of rural Black Americans in the South.
Other Researchers
James Edward Young, 1946
Thesis
1950s

Propagation of sound in attenuating ducts containing absorptive strips, 1953

Student
A 1953 MIT doctoral thesis by James E. Young, who would become the Department of Physics' first Black tenured faculty member, on sound propagation in ducts with absorptive strips.
Other Researchers
Black Panther: Jungle Action (1973)
Other
1970s

Black Panther: Panther's Rage (1973)

Multiple
The 1973 Marvel comic story arc introducing Erik Killmonger, whose fictional backstory as an MIT-educated engineer shaped one of Black Panther's most enduring villains.
Other Researchers
Technology Review MIT News cover Jan/Feb 2018
Article
2010s

The Remarkable Career of Shirley Ann Jackson, 2017

Multiple
A Technology Review profile of Shirley Ann Jackson '68 PhD '73 — the first Black woman to earn a PhD from MIT — tracing her career in physics, policy, and university leadership.
Other Researchers
The present state of Hayti (Saint Domingo), 1971
Book
1970s

The present state of Hayti (Saint Domingo), 1828 [1971]

Faculty
A book offering a rare 19th-century firsthand account of Haitian agriculture, commerce, laws, and society, reissued in 1971 with context connecting it to MIT's history.
Other Researchers
Type
Timeline
Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon, 2020
Book
2020
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Book
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.
Multiple
Phillip Clay: Reflections on the Black Experience at MIT, 1996
Oral History
2020
MIT Black History Project
1990s
MIT Black History Project
1990s
Oral History
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.
Multiple
Creating a STEM-based Economic Pillar for the Caribbean: A Blueprint, 2019
Article
2019
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
A 2019 policy blueprint proposing a STEM-driven economic development model for Caribbean nations seeking to reduce debt and diversify beyond tourism.
Multiple
Range distribution of 122 Mev (pi⁺) and (pi⁻) mesons in brass
Thesis
2019
Other Researchers
1950s
Other Researchers
1950s
Thesis
An MIT thesis by Harold Amos on the distribution of high-energy pi mesons in brass, representing early Black scholarship in experimental nuclear physics.
Student
Proving Einstein Right: The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe, 2019
Book
2019
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
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.
Alum
The Purpose Path: A Guide to Pursuing Your Authentic Life's Work, 2019
Book
2019
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A book by MIT alumnus Nicholas Pearce offering a framework for pursuing meaningful, purpose-driven work grounded in authentic values and spiritual calling.
Alum
What I Wish I Knew: An Untold History of African-American Architects (2016)
Article
2019
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
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.
Multiple
Learning How To Fly, 2018
Book
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A debut poetry collection by MIT alumnus Etienne Toussaint '07, exploring Black identity, belonging, and the weight of history and racism in America.
Alum
International joint venture with a government partner case study: copper mining in Zambia, 1972
Thesis
2018
Other Researchers
1970s
Other Researchers
1970s
Thesis
A 1994 MIT thesis analyzing international joint ventures with government partners in developing economies, using a copper mining case study.
Alum
Community facilities in a redevelopment area: a study and proposal for the Ellicott District in Buffalo, New York, 1955
Thesis
2018
Other Researchers
1950s
Other Researchers
1950s
Thesis
A 1955 MIT thesis by Robert Traynham Coles proposing a community facilities plan for the Ellicott District in Buffalo, NY, a redevelopment area with a significant Black population.
Alum
Architecture + Advocacy, 2016
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A richly illustrated book on Robert Traynham Coles, the African American architect from Buffalo who became a leading voice for social advocacy through design.
Alum
STEM Gems: How 44 Women Shine in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and How You Can Too!, 2016
Book
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
A book by MIT alumna Stephanie Espy profiling 44 women in STEM fields, designed to inspire girls to pursue science and engineering through diverse role models and career stories.
Alum
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