The African American Student Project was officially launched in 2016 in anticipation of the University of Michigan’s bicentennial. For more on the project’s research methodologies, please see Resources and Research.
Bentley Director Terry McDonald authorized this project in order to provide more context and data about African Americans at U-M from 1817-1970, disclosing a full range of experiences including both achievements and struggle.
Bentley Assistant Director and Archivist for University History Brian Williams spearheaded the project, working with a team of researchers, volunteers, and collaborators in a fact- and story-finding effort that remains highly collaborative. The team has consulted and collaborated with the University of Wisconsin, which undertook a similar project. The team also consulted with U-M alumni, members of African American fraternities and sororities, U-M faculty, MLibrary, and community members.
Enrollment card for 1931-32 filled out by E'Dora Morton, the first African American woman to live in the Mosher-Jordan dormitory.
More To Be Done
Now that our initial findings are public in the form of a searchable database, we will seek additions and corrections as we continue to add to the story.
Moving forward, our goal is to continue to add to the database as more information becomes available. We look forward to strengthening existing collaborations and developing new ones with researchers, faculty, librarians, and others as that project progresses. Our hope is that our project and experiences may be relevant to others taking on a similar project on a large or small scale.