Emory Opens New Archive of African American History to Researchers
The family papers of artist and civil rights activist Edwin Harleston and his wife, photographer Elise Harlston, have been fully archived and are now available to researchers at the university's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.
Tulane University Exhibit Documents the History of a Local Black Fraternal Group in Louisiana
The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans is currently showing an exhibit to honor the history of the African American fraternal organization, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of Louisiana.
University of Alabama Birmingham Conducting Oral History Project of the Civil Rights Movement
The goal of the StoryCorps Griot Initiative is to record for prosperity the stories of the city's residents who participated in the historical civil rights movement in the early 1960s.
Vanderbilt University Receives the Papers of a Civil Rights Icon
The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., a leading figure in the civil rights movement and an associate of Martin Luther King Jr., has donated a significant portion of his papers to the special collections division of the Vanderbilt University Libraries.
Quinnipiac Students Get the Opportunity to Study the Bones of a Slave
A slave whose bones were preserved by his slaveowner will be studied by students before he is given a Christian burial in Waterbury, CT.
New Poem by Jupiter Hammon, a Slave, Discovered at Yale Library
Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery in 1711. Although a slave, he attended school and learned to read and write. Later in life he wrote essays and poetry and is generally considered the first African American writer to be published.
1805 Bill of Sale for Three Slaves Donated to Duke University
The bill of sale lists three slaves, Elizabeth, a 20-year-old woman and her daughter Harriet who was six months old. A third slave Delilah, aged 14, was also included. The three slaves were sold for a total of $493.
Emory University Acquires the Papers of Ophelia DeVore Mitchell
Ophelia DeVore Mitchell was the founder of one of the first modeling agencies for African Americans and a pioneer in the "Black Is Beautiful" movement. Now over 90 years of age, she continues to own and help run an African American newspaper.
Hampton’s William Harvey Named One of the Top Five HBCU Presidents of All-Time
William R. Harvey, president of Hampton University has been named by two organizations as one of the top five HBCU presidents of all time. Norman Francis, current president of Xavier University in New Orleans, was also selected by one organization for the honor.
University of South Carolina Creates Exhibit to Honor Its First Black Faculty Member
The University of South Carolina has recently acquired and placed on displayed the law school diploma of Richard Theodore Greener its first Black faculty member who taught philosophy, Greek, and Latin during the Reconstruction period.
Historical Milestone at St. Augustine’s University
Nita Charlene Johnson Byrd is the first woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest in St. Augustine University's chapel and the first woman to serve as chaplain of the university.
New Mexico State University Honors Its President and an Early Black Football Star
Pervis Atkins' number 27 football uniform was retired but was briefly "unretired" on Saturday so the university could present a uniform jersey to Garrey Carruthers, the 27th president of the university.
New Online Archive of the Papers of Klan Infiltrator Stetson Kennedy
During the 1940s, Kennedy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia and exposed their rituals and beliefs in a 1954 book. The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, files, fliers, pamphlets, and photographs.
Yale University Authenticates Account of a Nineteenth-Century Black Prison Inmate
Yale University has announced that researchers have determined that a manuscript acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library in 2009 is the earliest known memoir written by an African American prison inmate.
University of Kentucky Professor Honors the Tuskegee Airmen
Bobby Scroggins, associate professor of ceramics in the School of Art and Visual Studies of the University of Kentucky, was commissioned to cast two bronze sculptures of two Tuskegee Airmen with ties to Kentucky.
New Award-Winning Film Documents Stories of English Women Who Married Black GIs
Valerie Hill-Jackson, clinical associate professor in the department of teaching, learning, and culture at Texas A&M University, has won the 2013 Upton Sinclair Award for her new film documentary.
University Debuts New Online Historical Archive of Blacks in Southern Nevada
So far, there are about 500 items in the online digital collection called The Las Vegas African American Experience Project, including photographs, documents, videos, and audio recordings.
A Tape of a 1964 Speech by Martin Luther King Discovered at Arizona State...
A tape of the speech entitled, "Religious Witness for Human Dignity," was found in an old box of reel-to-reel tapes at a Goodwill store in Phoenix. There is no other known recording of the speech.
Harvard Pioneer Chosen for Induction Into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame
William Clarence Matthews, a member of the Class of 1905 at Harvard University, led the university's baseball team in batting for three straight seasons. In 1905 he batted .400 and stole 22 bases.
University of Louisville Discovers Old Photos of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law recently discovered a series of 12 photographs that document a 1967 lecture given by Martin Luther King Jr. in the school's Allen Court Room.
Simmons College of Kentucky Receives Accreditation
Founded by former slaves in 1879, what is now known as Simmons College of Kentucky has received accreditation for the first time from the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
Middlebury College’s Connection to 12 Years a Slave
Middlebury College in Vermont recently received the donation of two portraits, one of which shows the Middlebury College alumnus who rescued Solomon Northup from bondage in Louisiana.
The First Black Graduate of the University of Vermont
For many years it was believed that George Washington Henderson in 1877 was the first Black graduate of the University of Vermont. But Andrew Harris earned his degree 39 years earlier.
University of Georgia Shows the Oldest Known Movie of Blacks Playing Baseball
The 26-second film of African Americans in 1919 at the Pebble Hill Plantation near Thomasville, Georgia, was recently screened at a conference, co-sponsored by the State University of New York College at Oneonta and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
University of Southern Mississippi to Double Its Digital Archive of Civil Rights Era Oral...
The University of Southern Mississippi recently received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize its collection of oral histories and make them available to the public. At the present time, many of the oral histories are on reel-to-reel or cassette tapes.
Washington and Lee University Addresses Its Past Ties to Slavery and the Confederacy
Kenneth P. Ruscio, president of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, has issued a response to student demands that the university take actions to address its past.
Traveling Exhibit Showcases African American Academic Surgeons
The National Library of Medicine and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture have developed an exhibit on the history of African American surgeons. The exhibit is appearing on campus across the United States and also online.
Shana Redmonds Named to Professorship Honoring Civil Rights Activist Ella Baker
The University of California, Santa Barbara, has established a visiting professorship to honor Ella Baker, a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and its network of Freedom Schools. Shana Redmond of the University of Southern California will be the first holder of the post.
University of Vermont Honors Its First Black Graduate
For many years, it was believed that George Washington Henderson was the first African American graduate of the University of Vermont in 1877. But research has revealed that Andrew Harris, an African American, was one of 24 students in the graduating Class of 1838.
1909 Fisk Jubilee Singers Recording Inducted Into the Grammy Hall of Fame
The Recording Academy has inducted a 1909 recording of the spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” sung by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Scholar to Study African American Convict Labor at Clemson University
African American convicts were used to construct some of Clemson’s earliest buildings. Some of these convicts were former slaves or children of slaves. At least one was as young as 12 years old.
Harvard University Acquires Copy of Unfinished Play by James Baldwin
One of the main characters in the Baldwin play, Peter Davis, is based on Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Alphone Fletcher University Professor and the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard.
Records of 4 Million Former Slaves to Soon Be Available Online
FamilySearch, a nonprofit genealogy organization operated by the Mormon Church, has announced that it will soon make available online the millions of records of former slaves that were collected by the Freedmen's Bureau.
Virginia Colleges and Universities Join Together to Discuss Their Shared Historical Legacies
A new consortium of 12 colleges and universities in Virginia recently held its first meeting to discuss how the educational institutions have dealt with and will deal with the issue of slavery.
Morgan State and West Virginia University Students Team Up for Journalism Project
Students from each school traveled with faculty members to Selma, Alabama, and used photographs, videos, and the written word to tell stories from the city past as well as investigating the community's present and hopes for the future.
Middlebury College Houses a Vast Archive of Abolitionist Letters
The archive contains the letters of four generations of the Robinson family. Rowland Thomas Robinson and Rachel Gilpin Robinson were devout Quakers, who were among the earliest abolitionists in the state of Vermont.
