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.
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.
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.
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.
Library of Congress Acquires the Vast Archive of The History Makers
The archive includes more than 9,000 hours of video interviews of 2,500 Black Americans. The collection includes 14,000 analog tapes, 3,000 DVDs, 70,000 paper documents, and 30,000 digital images.
Emory University Acquires the Papers of Poet Nathaniel Mackey
Dr. Mackey is a professor emeritus of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He recently was named the winner of the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2006, he won the National Book Award in the poetry category.
UCLA Mural on “The Black Experience” Again Sees the Light of Day
In 1970, seven artists painted a mural on a wall in the Ackerman Union on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles. When the building was renovated in 1992, the mural was hidden behind a temporary wall. It has now been restored for public display.
Duke Renames a Dormintory That Honored a Segregation-Era Governor
Aycock Hall was named for Charles Brantley Aycock, who served as governor of North Carolina from 1901 to 1905. While Governor Aycock was a strong advocate for public education, he also was a staunch segregationist and led efforts to disenfranchise Black voters in the state.
University of Tennessee Acquires Rare Phillis Wheatly First Edition
The University of Tennessee Libraries has acquired a first edition of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley. The edition purchased by the university contains an inscription by the author.
