Every Name Has a Story

Since summer 2016, U-M’s Bentley Historical Library has been working to uncover the names and stories of all African American students who attended the University of Michigan from its founding to 1980. This effort, called the African American Student Project, has become a searchable database of almost 9,500 names. The database compiles information including the names, years of attendance, and campus activities. Beyond the database, The African American Student Project also spotlights the remarkable stories of alumni.

Through collecting information like where African American students lived on campus, Bentley researchers could then illustrate the challenges African American students have historically faced. Researchers visualized the geographic information to show how African American student residences were segregated between 1853 and 1973. You can also read further about the separate housing the University maintained for African American women.