Research Guides: Black and African American Physicists Research Guide: General Resources

Archival Collections

Black Physicist Collection
Located at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. This collection documents two organizations, the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and the National Conference of Black Physics Students. The National Society of Black Physicists was established in 1977 at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD out of a need to address many of the important issues of concern for African-American physicists.
Brief History of the Physics Department at Fisk University including its Infrared Spectroscopy and other Research Programs, 1997.
Institutional history located at the American Institute of Physics. Fisk University is a historically Black university.
The genesis of the National Society of Black Physicists [undated]
Manuscript biography located at the American Institute of Physics.
Exceptional Black Scientists collection, 1971-1986 (bulk 1980-1984)
Located at the New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
CIBA-GEIGY Corporation is a large, diversified chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer with headquarters in Ardsley, New York. In 1980, CIBA-GEIGY initiated the Exceptional Black Scientist Poster Program to acquaint the general public with the achievements of some black scientists and to encourage minorities to pursue careers in science, medicine, and mathematics.
National Society of Black Physicists collection, 1990-1996 Description: 1 linear foot, 2 boxes. Online Finding Aid
Fisk University Archives. Scope of Material: Materials include correspondence, reports, minutes, proceedings, programs, newsletters, announcements, and 1992 conference papers.

The Ronald E. Mickens Collection on African-American Physicists, circa 1950-2008, at the American Institute of Physics

Ronald E. Mickens Collection finding aid
Collection of biographical materials on Black and African American physicists. This collection is digitized; please email nbl@aip.org for access.
Ronald E. Mickens Image Collection
Collection of images of African American physicists taken by Ronald Mickens. This collection is fully digitized and available for use.
The African American Presence in Physics by Ronald Mickens
Book about African American physicists based on Ronald Mickens' research. This links to a digitized version.
Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast, Episode 7: The African American Presence in Physics
Based on the Ronald E. Mickens collection, this episode describes the history of the community of Black physicists in the United States. In 1999 the American Physical Society celebrated its centennial. In conjunction with the celebration, Dr. Ronald Mickens and his colleagues created an exhibit on the community of African American physicists and their contributions to the field during the twentieth century. In addition to providing a history of the African American presence in physics, this episode will also highlight several items in the Mickens collection.

Bibliographies and Databases

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s Cite Black Women+ in Physics and Astronomy Bibliography on Zotero
This bibliography is a roughly complete list of all the professional publications of US-based Black women+ with PhDs in physics. The list of women and gender minorities that we worked from is maintained by Dr. Jami Valentine Miller and African-American Women in Physics Inc. (AAWIP). The list is primarily composed of Black women who are from the United States and/or did their graduate training in the United States, with PhDs in physics, astronomy, physics education research, and related fields like materials science, geophysics, and a few in biophysics.
Database of African American woman physicists
Database maintained by the organization African American Women in Physics.
Decolonising Science Reading List by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Texts range from personal testimony to Indigenous cosmology to anthropology, to history to sociology to education research. Included are readings about being a Black physicist in America and African cultural astronomy.
Wikipedia Category:African-American physicists
Links to all known articles about African-American physicists on Wikipedia.

Educational and News Resources

American Institute of Physics Black History Month page
A selection of resources on Black and African American physical scientists from the American Institute of Physics. Updated yearly.
Physics Today’s Celebrating Black History Articles Collection
From Physics Today magazine: includes articles about historical scientists, interviews with living scientists, and articles about diversity in physics and underrepresentation of Black and African American scientists.
Teaching Guides on Black and African American Physicists from the American Institute of Physics
These teaching guides, intended for first grade through the college level, meet national educational standards, can fit into social and natural science courses, and are available for free. Many guides teach a science topic through the lens of historical context. A teaching guide typically includes a lesson plan, discussion questions, and an answer key, as well as other readings and resources.

Reports and Statistical Research Data

The TEAM-UP Report
A major research study conducted by the American Institute of Physics to research underrepresentation of African Americans in physics and astronomy that included student surveys, department chair surveys, interviews with African American students, and site visits to five high-performing physics departments; includes key findings and recommendations
Underrepresented Groups: American Institute of Physics Statistical Data
These reports include information about the field of physics, physical sciences, and engineering for many underrepresented groups. Many of the reports focus on trends in higher education, and there are some reports about the high school level.

Influences on Black or African American Physics Bachelors Decision to Pursue Physics, Class of 2022
Report from American Institute of Physics Statistical Data
African-American Participation Among Bachelors in the Physical Sciences and Engineering
Report from American Institute of Physics Statistical Data
Number and Percent of Physics Bachelor's Degrees Earned by African-Americans
Report from American Institute of Physics Statistical Data
Trends in African-Americans Earning Bachelors in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial, and Other Engineering, 2005 and 2015
Report from American Institute of Physics Statistical Data