Slavery

Photo of seven students posing in front of a large road sign that says "Welcome to historic Selma, queen city of the blackbelt"

MIT Sloan students learn about civil rights history with a tour of the Deep South

Independent study provides an opportunity to enhance understanding, share learnings with the MIT community.

May 17, 2022

“One of things historians do," says MIT Associate Professor Tanalís Padilla (top right), "is analyze how systems of power are constructed — state power, corporate power, racist power — and what role different institutions play in that.” Clockwise from upper left: Craig Steven Wilder, Padilla, Malick Ghachem, Lerna Ekmekçioğlu.

The task of history

At community dialogue, MIT historians discuss the power of historical knowledge to make a better world.

May 22, 2018

“I believe the work of this class is important to the present — and to the future," says MIT President L. Rafael Reif. "What can history teach us now, as we work to invent the future? How can we make sure that the technologies we invent will contribute to making a better world for all?" Pictured: Craig Steven Wilder, the Barton L. Weller Professor of History, and Melissa Nobles, professor of p...

3 Questions: Melissa Nobles and Craig Steven Wilder on the MIT and Legacy of Slavery project

MIT Community Dialogue series is underway as multi-year research continues.

April 30, 2018

Professor Catherine Drennan discusses stereotype threat, at the March 9 MacVicar Day symposium.

Innovation fosters inclusive teaching at MIT

Panelists at MacVicar Day symposium highlight wide-ranging approaches for including, engaging, and supporting all students.

April 2, 2018

Four MIT students from the first "MIT and Slavery" class (21H.S01) presented well-researched information and narratives that shed new light on the history of science and technology in the U.S. (Left to right) Charlotte Minsky '20, Kelvin Green II '21, Mahi Elango '20, teaching assistant and PhD student Clare Kim, and, at the podium, Alaisha Alexander '18.

Event explores initial findings from “MIT and Slavery” class

Students bring the Institute into national conversation about universities and the institution of slavery in the United States.

February 23, 2018

Exploring his depth of field

Photographer, poet, and PhD student in biological engineering Corban Swain pursues diverse interests with a keen eye.

February 21, 2018

MIT Black History Project launches new website

Digital archive features never-before-published image of MIT's first black woman student.

February 21, 2018

From left to right: Nora Murphy, archivist for researcher services in the Institute Archives and Special Collections; Craig Steven Wilder, the Barton L. Weller Professor of History in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; Clare Kim, a graduate student in the HASTS program (History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society) who served as teaching assistant for Murphy and Wi...

MIT class reveals, explores Institute’s connections to slavery

Findings show founder William Barton Rogers possessed enslaved persons before coming to MIT; research, community dialogue to ensue.

February 12, 2018

How Haiti helps us think differently about history

MIT historian Malick Ghachem gets readers and students to look anew at the Atlantic world.

December 5, 2017

"One of the principal ways historians contribute to problem-solving work at MIT and elsewhere is by helping to identify what the real problem is in the first place," says Malick Ghachem, an MIT professor of history. "When we understand and articulate the roots and sources of a problem, we have a much better chance of actually solving it."

3 Questions: How history helps us solve today's issues

Professor Malick Ghachem discusses how historians contribute to problem-solving by identifying the roots and sources of a problem.

February 28, 2017

“The question I was beginning to ask was: How is it that Africa is not accounted for in technology studies?” says Clapperton Mavhunga. “How is it we are only accounted for in our social history and our suffering as victims? That’s when this inquiry that took me to MIT began.”

Stealth technology

Clapperton Mavhunga’s work uncovers an Africa where technology is abundant and sophisticated.

March 2, 2016

Policing sex trafficking in the digital age

Mitali Thakor works with tech companies and police to understand what sex trafficking looks like today.

August 18, 2015

Race and class

MIT historian Craig Wilder documents the manifold links between universities and the slave economy in colonial America.

September 24, 2013

Using literature to understand violence against blacks

MIT professor Sandy Alexandre studies the literary record to shed light on the history of lynching in the United States.

May 17, 2013

MIT President Susan Hockfield delivers a lecture on Tuesday evening at the Boston Public Library as part of the Lowell Lecture Series, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

MIT and the Civil War

President Susan Hockfield speaks on the struggle for America’s future — then and now.

February 9, 2012

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Browse By

Topics

Departments

Centers, Labs, & Programs

Schools

Topic