Congressman Seeks to Restore Funding to Preserve Historic HBCU Buildings
In 1998, the General Accounting Office identified 712 historic buildings and structures on the campuses of HBCUs that it deemed worthy of historical preservation. No funding has been allocated to the program since the 2008 recession.
Duke University to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of John Hope Franklin’s Birth
Professor Franklin was the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University and one of the most prolific and respected historians of the twentieth century. He was born in January 1915 and died in March 2009.
Efforts of Oberlin College Students in Mississippi in 1964 Recognized With Historical Marker
In 1964, more than 20 Oberlin College students and three faculty members traveled to Mississippi during Christmas break to help the congregation rebuild a church that had been burned to the ground by arsonists.
Students, Faculty Call for Renaming Tillman Hall on the Campus of Clemson University
"When you educate a Negro," Benjamin Tillman said, "you educate a candidate for the penitentiary or spoil a good field hand." The main building on the Clemson University campus bears his name.
Syracuse University Faculty and Students Helped Establish the Harriet Tubman National Park
For more than a decade, Douglas Armstrong, a professor of anthropology at Syracuse University, and his students have worked at the historic site in Auburn, New York, which includes Tubman's home, farm, and the Home for the Aged.
A Member of the Jena Six Graduates From College
In 2006, Mychal Bell was charged with attempted murder after the beating of a white high school student in Jena, Louisiana. Last month he earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies at Southern University.
University Puts Off Decision on Renaming Residence Hall Honoring a White Supremacist
The board of trustees at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, tabled a motion to change the name of Aycock Residence Hall on campus, which honors a former governor of North Carolina, who was a strong advocate of White supremacy.
Bowie State University Embarks on a Year-Long 150th Anniversary Celebration
A new website has been established to promote the anniversary. The site includes a history of the university, a timeline, a schedule of upcoming events, and photo galleries documenting the university's history.
University of North Dakota Honors One of Its Early Black Students
In 1924, Era Bell Thompson enrolled at the University of North Dakota as a track and field athlete. After college, she became a journalist and eventually was one of the top editors at Ebony magazine.
UCLA Honors Jackie Robinson
The University of California, Los Angeles is retiring Jackie Robinson's #42 for all men's and women's sports. It also renamed its sports and recreation complex in Robinson's honor.
A Treasure Trove of Early Photographs of Black Residents of Worcester, Massachusetts
Jannette Greenwood, a professor of history at Clark University and historian Frank Morrill have made great progress in determining the identities of African Americans in 200 photos taken between 1894 and 1914.
New Documentary on Smith College’s First African American Graduate
A new 16-minute video documentary on the life of Otelia Cromwell was shown for the first time at Smith College during the college's 25th celebration of Otelia Cromwell Day.
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.
Yale University Acquires the Records of the Cave Canem Foundation
The Cave Canem Foundation, an organization that that was founded in 1996, supports the field of African American poetry and nurtures Black poets. Its records will be housed at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.
Scholar Is Documenting the History of African Americans at Vanderbilt University
Rosevelt Noble is senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After 13 years on campus as a student and faculty member, he realized he knew very little of the history of Blacks at the university. He has set out to remedy that gap in his, and many others', knowledge.
Emory University Acquires the Papers of Barbara Chase-Riboud
The Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University in Atlanta has announced that it has acquired the papers of Barbara Chase-Riboud, a noted sculptor, novelist, artist, and poet.
The University of Virginia Hires Researcher to Examine the History of Slavery on Campus
The University of Virginia has appointed Kelley Fanto Deetz to a three-year postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research on the role of slavery in the university's history. And she will recommend how the university should commemorate those who worked in bondage for the university.
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.
Washington University Study to Examine Racial Segregation in St. Louis
The project, entitled "The Divided City: An Urban Humanities Initiative," is funded in part by a $650,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Donna Brazile Donates Her Papers to Louisiana State University
Donna Brazile, a key Democratic political strategist, author, and journalist has announced that she has donated her papers to the Special Collections Unit of the Louisiana State University Libraries. Brazile is a 1981 graduate of the university.
University of Cincinnati Acquires the Collections of Louise Shropshire
Louise Shropshire was the composer of the song "If My Jesus Wills," that was adapted to form the anthem of the civil rights movement "We Shall Overcome." She never received credit for being the author of the famous lyrics until after her death.
The Discovery of a Lost Landmark of African American History
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has announced the discovery of 101-year-old film footage that may include the earliest surviving depictions of African Americans actors on screen.
Emory University Debuts Archive of 12,000 Photos of African Americans
The Robert Langmuir African American Photograph Collection includes nearly 12,000 photographs depicting African American life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Brown University Dedicates Its Slavery Memorial
The memorial includes a 4.5 ton cast-iron sculpture that sits in front of University Hall, Brown's oldest building that was built in part by slave labor. The sculpture depicts a large iron ball and a chain where the third and final link is broken.
Four Universities Selected as Finalists for the Obama Presidential Library
The Barack Obama foundation has narrowed the field of candidates to host the Obama Presidential Library to Columbia University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Hawaii.
Longwood University Apologizes for Its Actions During the Civil Rights Era
Longwood University is a four-year, state-operated educational institution. Today, it enrolls about 4,500 undergraduate students and more than 400 graduate students. Blacks make up approximately 8 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Kansas State University Acquires the Collection of Blues Legend Jimmy Rogers
The collection of memorabilia from one of the greats of the Chicago blues scene in the post World War II years includes more than 2,500 items relating to Rogers' career from the period 1960 until his death in 1997.
Free Black Woman’s Civil War Diaries Available Online at Villanova University Website
The first entry of Emilie Davis' diaries, written on January 1, 1863, the day in which Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, read, "To day has bin a memorable day and i thank god i have been sperd to see it."
UCLA Finds a Treasure Trove of African American History
Last fall, a collection of 365 audio tapes were found of speeches given at the University of California, Los Angeles between 1962 and 1973. Among the recording are a large number of speeches given by leaders of the civil rights movement.
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.
Clemson University’s Year-Long Examination of Its History on Race
The series, entitled "Race and the University: A Campus Conversation," is designed to create greater awareness of Clemson's history on the issue of race and to foster dialogue on diversity at the university today.
New Audio Recordings of Ralph Ellison in 1953 Found at Harvard University
Earlier this year staffers at the Woodberry Poetry Room at Harvard University found audio tapes from a 1953 conference on the contemporary novel at Harvard Summer School. One of the participants in the conference was author Ralph Ellison.
University of Kansas Project Will Examine the Impact of Black Poetry on Social Change
The project, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will fund an institute on the University of Kansas campus next summer entitled "Black Poetry After the Black Arts Movement."
Coastal Carolina University Project Focuses on African American Veterans
The project, by Coastal Carolina University's Athenaeum Press, is the culmination of a decade of research collecting oral histories, documents, photographs, and other mementos of African American veterans.
Alabama State University to Build National Park Service Center on Campus
Alabama State University in Montgomery has signed an agreement with the National Park Service to develop a new $5 million interpretive center on campus that will be part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.
Oral History Project on the Civil Rights Movement Housed at George Mason University
The Northern Virginia Civil Rights Archive: Personal Histories of Struggle and Achievement in Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes more than 50 hours of videotape interviews.
