Why did you decide to focus on the history of Black Studies at the U for your project?

I decided to focus on the university’s Black Studies program because there was very little accessible information available about the history of the program. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the University of Utah created the Black Studies program within a larger Ethnic Studies program, participating in a nationwide movement to create and implement Ethnic Studies and Black Studies programs in universities throughout the United States. I wanted people to know about the university’s participation in this history, so I compiled what I learned in the university’s archives and presented it in a series of zines.

What was your favorite tidbit or two that you learned during your research?

One of my favorite things I discovered through my research was learning about the university’s Black Studies Symposium in 1973, which invited experts from across the United States to speak at the university regarding the topic of Black Studies. Some of these speakers included Chinua Achebe, Lerone Bennett, Herbert Aptheker, J. Saunders Redding, and William Branch. The Symposium was critical to initiating the Black Studies program and advancing the university’s knowledge on the subject of Black Studies.

What key takeaways did you glean from this project?

My key takeaway from the project was this: because the history we learn is always the product of somebody’s narrative, unwritten histories, often the histories of marginalized groups, are ignored or suppressed by the prejudices of those in control of the historical record. To more fully understand the past, modern historians have a responsibility to seek out these untold histories.

Check out the full zine “Black Studies at the University of Utah 1: The Creation of the Program (1969 – 1972) by history student Alorah Francis

Thank you for sharing your research, Alorah!

This project was completed as part of the Black Faculty and Staff (BFSA) Community History Internship.