African-American History

University of Virginia Unveils the Design for Its Memorial to Enslaved Laborers

The University of Virginia has discovered the names - sometimes only the first names - of nearly 1,000 slaves who worked on campus. The university believes that as many as 5,000 slaves may have labored on university grounds in the 1817-to-1865 period.

Hampton University Scholar Mounts Effort to Digitize Local Historical Documents

Maureen Elgersman Lee, an associate professor at Hampton University in Virginia, is leading a project that encourages African Americans to bring historical letters, documents, and other correspondence to the library where they are scanned and preserved in digital form.

Black World War II-Era Navy Band Honored at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

The 44 African American men were the first African Americans other than cooks or porters to serve in modern era of the U.S. Navy. They were also the first African Americans to work at the university in occupations that did not involve cooking, cleaning, or laundry work.

University of Georgia to Conduct Further Research on African American Remains Found on Campus

In November 2015, construction workers building an expansion on Baldwin Hall on the campus of the University of Georgia discovered the remains of approximately 105 individuals. The vast majority of the persons buried at the site were determined to have had mothers who were of African heritage.

Georgia Southern University Honors Its First African American Students

In January 1965, John Bradley became the first African American student at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. Six other Black students entered the university in the fall of 1965. Catherine Davis, a sophomore transfer student, was the first African American student to be awarded a degree.

Manuscript of Slave Autobiography to Be Published in Digital Form

Fields Cook was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation in 1817. His “A Scetch of My Own Life by Fields Cook” is one of the few, if only, surviving manuscripts written before the Civil War by a slave still in bondage.

Documenting the African American Experience at Northwestern University

Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, will soon have a permanent exhibition space documenting the lives of Black students, faculty, and alumni at the university. Charla Wilson will join the staff at Northwestern University Libraries as the inaugural Archivist for the Black Experience.

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Scholar to Direct World War I Tribute Band

Dr. Isrea Butler will direct the ensemble which is a recreation of the 369th Regimental Band that was made up of 65 African American and Puerto Rican soldiers that performed in the United States and in Europe during the World War I period a century ago.

Bucknell University Honors its First African American Graduate

Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, recently unveiled a bust of Edward McKnight Brawley, who in 1875 became the first African American to graduate from the university. He went on to serve as president of what is now Selma University in Alabama. Brawley also was president of Morris College in Alabama.

Tufts University Debuts Exhibit From the Gerald Gill Papers Collection

Gerald Gill taught history at Tufts University for 27 years before his death 10 years ago at the age of 59. Professor Gill was the author of "Another Light on the Hill," which documented the history of African Americans at Tufts.

New Community Engagement Awards Honor Early Black Student at Yale

Yale University has announced the first cohort of 20 high school juniors who are the winners of the Bassett Award for Community Engagement. Bassett took classes at Yale in the 1850s and later was the first African American to be named a U.S. diplomat.

University of Cincinnati Researchers Produce a Racial Diversity Map of the Entire Nation

The map shows how the racial makeup of neighborhoods changed between 1990 and 2010. Users can zoom in to focus on a particular state, city, or even neighborhood. The maps are so detailed that information can be found for any 30-square-meter area in the country.

The 19th-Century Black Woman Who Now Has a Building Named After Her at Georgetown

Recently, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., held a ceremony to name a campus building to honor Anne Marie Becraft, who in 1820 founded a school for Black girls in Washington. At the time she founded the school, Becraft was 15 years old.

First Black Woman Student at the University of Georgia Creates ‘Giving Voice to the Voiceless’ Fund

Charlayne Hunter-Gault and her husband Ron Gault have created the Giving Voice to the Voiceless endowment at the University of Georgia. The endowment will provide grants to university students to promote social justice and global understanding.

University of Virginia Names a Campus Building in Honor of a Slave

Peyton Skipwith, a former slave who quarried stone for some of the early structures on the Charlottesville campus, was owned by John Hartwell Cocke, one of the first members of the university's board of visitors.

University of Michigan Seeks to Identify All of Its Early Black Students

Early records of the university did not include information on a student's race. By using yearbooks, class photos, and student newspapers, researchers have identified more than 1,700 Black students who attended the university from 1853 to 1970.

Rutgers University Scholars Resurrect an Old Literary Magazine for Today’s Generation

From 1966 to 1983, the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore published the literary magazine Chicory. The publication, financed by the federal Office of Economic Opportunity, contained poetry, prose, and artwork composed by members of Baltimore's low-income, African American communities.

Southern University to Award Degrees to Black Students Slain on Campus in 1972

In 1972, police were called to campus of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to remove Black student protestors from the president's office. During the ensuing melee, two students were shot dead from shotgun blasts. No one was ever charged with the murders.

Georgetown University Continues to Make Amends to Descendants of Its Slaves

On April 18, several descendants of the slaves that were sold by the university in 1838 will come to Washington, D.C., for the ceremony to rename buildings that have honored university officials who participated in the slave trade.

New Documentary Film on the Importance of African American Speech

North Carolina State University recently premiered a new documentary film that examines the history of African American speech, its cultural importance, and how African American speech has shaped modern American English.
1...222324...46Page 23 of 46

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Featured Jobs