The Midwest African American experience is one of the most extraordinary yet overlooked parts of American history—from the Midwest Underground Railroad to the Great Migration and Black Renaissance, from Ida B. Wells to Emmett Till to Fred Hampton to Barack Obama, from Ferguson to Flint to Minneapolis. For African Americans, the region has been both a “Promised Land” and a “Heartland of Betrayal.” Guided by leading Midwest African American scholars, African Americans & the Midwest will tell that history in four ways: website: blackmidwest.org, Documentary/ Film Docu-Series, WTTW/PBS Chicago,  Digital “Classroom Pods”, and a Documentary Podcast.

The rise of the “manel” (= all male panel) is prevalent within the field of ancient history. In order to combat this, Women of Ancient History was founded so that a database of women in the field could be compiled and subsequently kept updated through the years. This database has no one author, but is rather a product of over 50+ women and men who took the time to contribute. We hope that you use it to reach out to a female ancient historian in order: to write a review, to be on a panel, to write an article, or just to read her work. 

The Chacra Collective is a group of scholar-teachers who share their expertise and research on Latin America, the Caribbean, the Atlantic World, and the hemisphere in online/ digital formats specifically for use in university courses taught by other Collective members. The ethos of the community is a commitment to the educational depth, richness, and inspiration generated when students are exposed to real, live scholars and the new knowledge they actively produce about the past and the hemisphere’s cultures. Professor Mariola Espinosa is a member of the Chacra Collective.

This site traces the use of race restrictive deed covenants in Iowa City and Johnson County in the first half of the twentieth century, highlighting the importance and impact of these racial restrictions, their legal history, and their use in other settings. Explore a map of all the restricted parcels and subdivisions with documentation of the original restrictions and learn more about the historical background of segregation in the area. The research for this project was completed in Spring 2020 by undergraduate researchers working under the direction of Professor Colin Gordon and with the help of the Johnson County Recorders Office and County Recorder Kim Painter.

This project is devoted to documenting and narrating the story of Shell’s pioneering development of the Mars field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (3,000 feet of water), as well as associated fields the greater Mars-Ursa basin, historically the largest single source of crude oil in the Gulf. The narratives, photos, videos, and other resources gathered here offer insight into the decisions and dramas that made the Mars-Ursa complex one of the most vital American energy assets. This project also provides a forum for “Martians” and other participants to contribute recollections, images, or artifacts, which will help to preserve the living history and memory of Shell’s Deepwater Mission to Mars.