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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
MIT’s First Black Graduate Honored With U.S. Postage Stamp
In 1892 Robert Robinson Taylor was the first Black graduate of MIT. He spent most of his career at what is now Tuskegee University and designed more than 20 buildings on its Alabama campus.
Rice University’s Anthony Pinn to Teach New MOOC on Religion and Hip-Hop Culture
Anthony Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religious studies at Rice University. Teaching duties will be shared with Grammy nominee Bernard "Bun B" Freeman.
Stanford University Website Documents Early Life of Comedian Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor was born in 1940 in racially segregated Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in a brothel run by his grandmother, in which his father worked as a pimp and his mother as a prostitute. Pryor dropped out of school at the age of 14.
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.
University of California, San Diego Honors Sojourner Truth
The University of California, San Diego, recently unveiled a new life-size bronze sculpture of Sojourner Truth. The statue is the work of of local artist Manuelita Brown, a graduate of the University of California, San Diego.
A New Digital Archive Documents the Civil Rights Movement at Swarthmore College
The Black Liberation 1969 Archive "stands as a bulwark against the college losing or forgetting the story of Black student activism, which significantly improved Swarthmore for the better," says Professor Allison Dorsey.
Black Leaders Discuss Black Leadership
Over the past 14 years, University of Virginia professors Julian Bond and Phyllis Leffler recorded 51 video interviews with African American leaders. These interviews form the basis for a new book and a companion website that includes all 51 full video interviews.
Clemson University Decides Not to Rename Tillman Hall
Tillman Hall on the campus of Clemson University was named after a White supremacist who was a staunch opponent of providing education to African Americans. Yet, the university's board of trustees has decided not to change the name of the building.
Mississippi State Hosts “African American Treasures” From the Kinsey Collection
From March 21 to June 20, items from the private collection of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey will be on display at the Mitchell Memorial Library on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville.
Professor Eric Foner’s New MOOC on Reconstruction Is About to Start
The new massive open online course (MOOC) will begin on February 25 and will last for nine weeks. Expect a 6- to 8-hour time commitment each week. The course is free and is open to the public.
New Study Finds That the Great Migration Negatively Impacted Black Mortality Rates
While the Great Migration provided millions of Blacks with better educational and economic opportunities, a new study finds that it also led to increase mortality rates for African Americans.
The FBI Kept Close Ties on Black Scholars
William Maxwell of Washington University in St. Louis made 106 Freedom of Information Act requests for FBI files on what he calls "noteworthy Afro-modernists." He found that the FBI had files on 51 of the 106 Black scholars.
Daughters of Two Murdered Civil Rights Icons Meet for the First Time
Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of Medgar Evers, and Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, met for the first time before a Black History Month event at Jackson State University in Mississippi.
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.
University of Chicago Honors Its First African American Faculty Member
Julian H. Lewis earned a Ph.D. in physiology and pathology at the University of Chicago in 1915 and then went on to medical school. He was hired as an instructor at the University of Chicago in 1917.
New Support Group for Black Psychiatry Residents at Yale Medical School
Members of the psychiatry residency program at the Yale University School of Medicine have formed the Yale Solomon Carter Fuller Association in honor of the nation's first Black psychiatrist.
East Carolina University to Remove Name of White Supremacist From Residence Hall
The building, which opened in 1960, was named after Charles B. Aycock, a former governor of North Carolina, who was a strong supporter of White supremacy.
