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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Jim Gates
Thesis
1970s

Symmetry Principles in Selected Problems of String Theory, 1973

Student
A 1973 MIT doctoral thesis by S. James Gates Jr., the first thesis ever devoted to supersymmetry in physics, marking a landmark in theoretical particle physics.
Other Researchers
Ebony Affair 2016
Article
1990s

Ebony Affair: Twenty Years of Ebony, 1995

Student
Program booklet for the 1995 Ebony Affair, MIT's 20th annual celebration organized by the Black Students' Union showcasing Black student achievement and community.
Other Researchers
Melissa Nobles: All About the Count, 2007
Article
2000s

Melissa Nobles: All About the Count, 2007

Faculty
A 2007 MIT News profile of political science professor Melissa Nobles, whose research on racial classification and census politics shaped policy debates internationally.
Other Researchers
Mens et Mania: The MIT Nobody Knows, 2011
Book
2010s

Mens et Mania: The MIT Nobody Knows, 2011

Administrator
A behind-the-scenes memoir by MIT linguistics professor Jay Keyser, offering a candid and witty portrait of life at the Institute away from its public-facing reputation.
Other Researchers
Article
1990s

The Territory Between Us: A Report on "Black Women in the Academy..." 1994

No items found.
An article by scholar Saidiya Hartman reporting on the landmark 1994 'Black Women in the Academy' conference held at MIT, attended by over 2,000 scholars and activists.
Other Researchers
MIT meets with insurance companies, 1976
Article
1970s

Black Firms to Share MIT Life Insurance Business, 1976

Administrator
A 1976 MIT report documenting the Institute's decision to share life insurance business with two major Black-owned insurance companies as part of its diversity commitments.
Other Researchers
William Barton Rogers and the Idea of MIT, 2008
Book
2000s

William Barton Rogers and the Idea of MIT, 2008

Administrator
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.
Other Researchers
Cover of Nature (September 2004)
Article
2000s

Inscribed matter as an energy-efficient means of communication with an extraterrestrial civilization, 2004

Alum
A 2004 MIT thesis exploring inscribed matter as an energy-efficient method for interstellar or long-duration communication scenarios.
Other Researchers
Holding the Center: Memoirs of a Life in Higher Education, 1999
Book
1990s

Holding the Center: Memoirs of a Life in Higher Education, 1999

Administrator
The memoirs of Howard Wesley Johnson, MIT's 12th president, reflecting on his career leading the Institute through decades of social and institutional change.
Other Researchers
MIT's Minority Success Record, 1988
Article
2017
MIT Black History Project
1980s
MIT Black History Project
1980s
Article
A 1988 report examining MIT's record of minority student success, including enrollment, graduation, and outcomes data for Black and other underrepresented students.
Administrator
From 'Tech' to Tuskegee, 1998
Article
2017
MIT Black History Project
1990s
MIT Black History Project
1990s
Article
A 1998 article tracing the deep historical ties between MIT and Tuskegee Institute, from Robert Robinson Taylor's graduation in 1892 through decades of shared mission.
Administrator
Illuminating the successes and struggles of MIT Black history, 2023
Article
2023
MIT Black History Project
2020s
MIT Black History Project
2020s
Article
A 2023 MIT News profile of the MIT Black History Project, documenting its mission to research and preserve over 150 years of Black life and achievement at the Institute.
Multiple
The long path to inclusivity, 2020
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Article
A Technology Review article reflecting on MIT's decade-long progress following the 2010 Hammond report on faculty race and diversity, assessing what changed and what didn't.
No items found.
Report of The Initiative for Faculty Race and Diversity, 2010
Report
2017
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Report
A report from MIT's Initiative for Faculty Race and Diversity, examining the state of Black and minority faculty representation and making recommendations for improvement.
Faculty
Archival Elements (2021)
Article
2023
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Article
The 2021 issue of the Society of American Archivists newsletter featuring MIT Black History Project coverage on archival methods and culturally significant collections.
No items found.
The Negro at the College Door, 1964
Article
2022
Other Researchers
1960s
Other Researchers
1960s
Article
An article documenting the 1964 MIT Conference on Negro College Summer Institutes and its efforts to improve college preparation for Black students from underserved high schools.
Multiple
Wonder Women of Science: How 12 Geniuses Are Rocking Science, Technology, and the World (2021)
Book
2022
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Book
A children's book by MIT alumna Tiera Fletcher '17 and co-authors profiling 12 women scientists and engineers rocking STEM, with Fletcher herself as one of the featured subjects.
Alum
Science must overcome its racist legacy: Nature’s guest editors speak, 2022
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2020s
Other Researchers
2020s
Article
An article from Nature featuring MIT-affiliated scholars calling on the scientific community to reckon with its racist history and actively work toward decolonizing research.
Multiple
Vital Difference: The Role of Race in Building Community (2004)
Report
2022
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Report
A report by MIT's Center for Reflective Community Practice arguing that race, far from being divisive, can play a central role in building democratic participation in underserved communities.
Faculty
Slavery and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital, 2005
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2000s
Other Researchers
2000s
Article
An article by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu measuring how much economic harm was transmitted across generations from slavery, quantifying the long-run costs of historical oppression.
No items found.
Studying While Black: Trust, Opportunity, and Disrespect, 2014
Article
2022
Other Researchers
2010s
Other Researchers
2010s
Article
An article examining how race shapes trust and opportunity in educational settings, and what institutions can do to close achievement gaps and reduce disrespect toward Black students.
Faculty
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