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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Article
1990s

MIT's Mea Culpa: Now, What About Black Faculty?, 1999

No items found.
A 1999 analysis of MIT's landmark report on discrimination against women faculty, and whether its findings would prompt similar action for Black faculty.
Other Researchers
Technology and Insustrial Efficiency cover
Paper
1910s

The Scientific Development of the Negro, 1911

Alum
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.
Other Researchers
Article
1940s

The Civil Engineer, 1946

Alum
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.
Other Researchers
Article
2010s

The Desegregation of an Elite Economics Department’s PhD Program: Black Americans at MIT, 2014

Alum
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.
Other Researchers
J.R. Applegate
Article
1990s

The African-American Linguist Who Broke the Faculty Barrier at MIT, 1997

No items found.
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.
Other Researchers
Figure 2- The battle for ‘Trayvon Martin’
Article
2010s

The battle for ‘Trayvon Martin’: Mapping a media controversy online and off-line, 2014

Faculty
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.
Other Researchers
Article
1990s

Role Models and Mentors for Blacks at Predominantly White Campuses, 1994

Administrator
An article arguing that educators must invest in mentorship and role models for Black students at predominantly white institutions to improve retention and success.
MIT Black History Project
Grid of students prior to the Class of 1930
Thesis
1980s

Notes on Researching Blacks at MIT prior to the Class of 1930, 1983

Student
A 1983 MIT research note reconstructing the fragmentary records of early Black students at MIT before the Class of 1930.
Other Researchers
Type
Timeline
William Barton Rogers and the Idea of MIT, 2008
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Book
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.
Administrator
Inscribed matter as an energy-efficient means of communication with an extraterrestrial civilization, 2004
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
A 2004 MIT thesis exploring inscribed matter as an energy-efficient method for interstellar or long-duration communication scenarios.
Alum
Holding the Center: Memoirs of a Life in Higher Education, 1999
Book
2017
Other Researchers
1990s
Other Researchers
1990s
Book
The memoirs of Howard Wesley Johnson, MIT's 12th president, reflecting on his career leading the Institute through decades of social and institutional change.
Administrator
Democracy and New Media in Developing Nations: Opportunities and Challenges, 2003
Book
2017
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Book
A chapter by MIT alumnus Adam Clayton Powell III '67 examining how new media technologies present both opportunities and obstacles for democracy in the developing world.
Alum
The Ghetto: Five Years of Black Radio, 1975
Article
2017
Other Researchers
1970s
Other Researchers
1970s
Article
An article documenting the history of WTBS's 'The Ghetto,' the Black Students' Union soul-music radio program that served the Cambridge and Boston community for five years.
Student
Transcript: Interview with Ramona B. Allen, 1996
Oral History
2017
MIT Black History Project
1990s
MIT Black History Project
1990s
Oral History
An oral history interview with Ramona B. Allen, dean for Human Resources in MIT's School of Architecture and Planning, conducted for the Technology and the Dream project.
Administrator
Interview with Phillip L. Clay, 2002
Oral History
2017
MIT Black History Project
2000s
MIT Black History Project
2000s
Oral History
A 2002 oral history interview with MIT urban planning professor Phillip L. Clay, conducted by Clarence G. Williams for the MIT Black History Project.
Multiple
Frat President: James Evans heads chapter of Pi Lambda Phi, 1961
Article
2017
Other Researchers
1960s
Other Researchers
1960s
Article
A 1961 Ebony magazine article announcing James Carmichael Evans Jr. as president of a Pi Lambda Phi chapter, marking a milestone in Black fraternity life at MIT.
Student
The Negro in the Army: Policy and Practice, 1948
Book
2017
Other Researchers
1940s
Other Researchers
1940s
Book
A book-length summary prepared for the Secretary of the Army in 1948 by MIT alumnus James Evans '26 on the policy and practice of Black service in the U.S. Army.
Alum
If Your Name Is Powell, Take a Number, 2010
Article
2017
2010s
2010s
Article
A profile of MIT alumnus Adam Clayton Powell IV '92, navigating his own identity and career in the long shadow of a prominent political family dynasty.
Alum
A Study of the Pulsating Growth of Cumulus Clouds, 1960
Thesis
2017
Other Researchers
1960s
Other Researchers
1960s
Thesis
The 1960 doctoral dissertation of MIT meteorologist Charles Anderson, a Tuskegee Airman, on the pulsating growth of cumulus clouds over Arizona mountains.
Student
From the NFL to MIT: The Double Life of John Urschel, 2017
Article
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
A profile of MIT math PhD student and NFL offensive lineman John Urschel, who pursued elite athletics and advanced mathematics simultaneously before retiring to focus on research.
Student
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