History

WATCH:15 Untold Black History Inventors Wasn’t Taught At School

Most people have heard about famous inventions like the light bulb, the cotton gin and the penicillin. Take a moment and look around. Do you see any inventions? Inventions are everywhere you look! Your computer, your clothes, your notebook, your furniture – inventions are all around you. An object may have been invented a long time ago, or it may be an improvement based on other inventions, but every man made object you see was originally an invention of some kind.

WATCH: Race and Space Pt. 1

In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts spoke with three Black astronomers to discuss the relationship of race and space. In Part 1, they discuss the important question of ‘why are there so few Black astronomers?’

Martin Luther King, Jr. – The Other America 2.0

In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., espoused that America literally existed as two Americas.  In his depiction of the two Americas, Dr. King spoke of one America where the land overflowed with the “milk of prosperity and the honey of opportunity.”  King implored Blacks to imagine experiencing the unencumbered pursuit of happiness. 

Aaron, Elder Overcame Hate to Achieve Records, Milestones

Henry Aaron made history with one swing of his bat. A year later and on the other side of Georgia, Lee Elder made history with one swing of his driver. They both overcame racist threats to reach milestones that will always be part of sports lore. “Hammerin’ Hank” supplanted Babe Ruth at the top of baseball’s all-time home run list and Elder became the first Black golfer to play in the Masters.

University Design School Initiative Seeks Racial Justice

After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the University of Minnesota’s College of Design launched the Design Justice Initiative, which seeks to support the retention and inclusion of Black, Indigenous and students of color through affinity spaces, policy adaptations and operational changes.