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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Water Marked: A Novel, 1999
Book
1990s

Water Marked: A Novel, 1999

Faculty
A novel by MIT professor Helen Elaine Lee about two estranged African American sisters who reunite to understand their father, written in lyrical prose balancing grief and beauty.
Other Researchers
The Properties of Violence, 2013
Book
2010s

The Properties of Violence: Claims to Ownership in Representations of Lynching, 2013

Faculty
A book by MIT professor Saidiya Hartman examining representations of lynching in American culture and the contested questions of ownership in the history of racial violence.
Other Researchers
The Politics of Official Apologies, 2008
Book
2000s

The Politics of Official Apologies, 2008

Faculty
A book by MIT professor Melissa Nobles examining how official government apologies in the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are deployed for political purposes.
Other Researchers
Aerospace Engineer Aprille Ericsson, 2015
Book
2010s

Aerospace Engineer Aprille Ericsson, 2015

Alum
A children's biography of NASA aerospace engineer Aprille Ericsson, tracing her journey from science fair competitor to trailblazing rocket scientist and role model.
Other Researchers
Robert R. Taylor and Tuskegee, 2011
Book
2010s

Robert R. Taylor and Tuskegee: An African American Architect Designs for Booker T. Washington, 2011

Alum
A book interweaving the life of Robert Robinson Taylor, MIT's first Black graduate and the first accredited Black architect, with the story of his 40-year career building Tuskegee Institute.
Other Researchers
Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just, 1983
Book
1980s

Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just, 1983

Faculty
A biography of Ernest Everett Just, the pioneering African American marine biologist whose extraordinary scientific career was shaped by racial barriers in early 20th-century America.
Other Researchers
Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities, 2015
Book
2010s

Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities: Building Bridges of Hope through the Holy Spirit, 2015

Alum
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.
Other Researchers
Ron's Big Mission, 2009
Book
2000s

Ron's Big Mission, 2009

Alum
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.
Other Researchers
Abundance of Miracles: Autobiography of Charles A. Cofield, 2013
Book
2010s

Abundance of Miracles: Autobiography of Charles A. Cofield, 2013

Alum
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.
Other Researchers
Interview: Linda Sharpe '69, MIT Alumni President, 2013
Oral History
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Oral History
A 2013 interview with Linda Sharpe '69, the first Black woman to serve as president of the MIT Alumni Association, reflecting on her MIT years and volunteer leadership.
Alum
Ernie Cohen '64 in His Own Words, 2014
Oral History
2018
MIT Black History Project
2010s
MIT Black History Project
2010s
Oral History
A 2014 BAMIT newsletter tribute to Ernest Cohen '64, sharing his personal reflections on being a Black student at MIT during the civil rights era.
Alum
Journey Towards Making a Better World: In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Founding of The Black Students Union at MIT, 2018
Report
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Report
A report documenting MIT Black Students' Union's 50th anniversary trip to Washington D.C. in 2018, organized to deepen students' appreciation of African American history and culture.
Administrator
Broken Bonds: My Immoderate Life of Love, Passion, War on Affirmative Action and Jack Welch's GE, 2004
Book
2018
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Book
A memoir by a Black GE executive recounting his experiences with affirmative action, corporate discrimination, and a contentious career inside Jack Welch's General Electric.
Alum
Reflections of the Dream, 1996
Book
2017
MIT Black History Project
1990s
MIT Black History Project
1990s
Book
A book collecting speeches from MIT's annual Martin Luther King Jr. convocation over two decades, celebrating the legacy of the civil rights movement and Black achievement at the Institute.
Administrator
The BSU at 50, 2018
Article
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
A Technology Review article marking the 50th anniversary of MIT's Black Students' Union, tracing the organization's founding in 1968 and its lasting impact on the Institute.
Multiple
African American Women Chemists, 2011
Book
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
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.
Alum
Oral History: Jennie R. Patrick, 2006
Oral History
2018
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Oral History
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.
Alum
African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era, 2018
Book
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Book
The second volume documenting African American women chemists, focusing on trailblazers from the mid-20th century onward, including several with MIT connections.
Multiple
The Diversity of Diversity: It’s More than Race, 2005
Article
2018
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
An article by MIT Chancellor Phillip Clay arguing that true diversity encompasses far more than race, calling for a richer institutional conversation about inclusion.
Alum
Autocracy, Violence, and Ethnomilitary Rule in Nigeria, 1999
Paper
2018
Other Researchers
1990s
Other Researchers
1990s
Paper
A scholarly paper by MIT political scientist Willard Johnson examining autocracy, ethnic conflict, and military rule in Nigeria, presented at a 1997 MIT conference.
Visiting
Because I'm Black, 2018
Article
2018
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
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.
Student
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