Hutchins Center for African & African American Research

08/14/2026

“Our partnership and friendship with Skip Gates in doing this is a very important part of our professional and personal lives,” Mr. Hutchins said. “He’s a national treasure, and the work that we do together is very meaningful to all of us.”

It was 1995, and Henry Louis (Skip) Gates Jr. was four years into his tenure at Harvard University, when he was tasked with building the “greatest center of African and African American studies in the world.”

08/03/2026

07/31/2026

Pope Leo XIV spoke publicly for the first time about his family history. He admitted that his ancestors included both enslaved people and slave owners, and emphasized that while he is proud of his American heritage, he considers himself, first and foremost, the Pope for the whole world.

07/29/2026

07/10/2026

In 1906 W.E.B. Du Bois invited Franz Boas to give a commencement speech at the black institution where he taught, Atlanta University. Boas told the students of Africa’s contributions to civilization. “I wish you could see the scepters of African kings, carved of hard wood and representing artist...

07/07/2026

Last November, we were honored to present Mr. Johnson with Harvard's highest honor in the field of African & African American studies, the W. E. B. Du Bois medal. May he rest in peace. 🖤

Mr. Johnson’s hair product company, a longtime sponsor of “Soul Train,” was the first Black-owned company listed on a major American stock exchange.

07/02/2026

Their ancestors may have opened the door. But these women decided what to do once they walked through it.

In commemoration of America 250, Daughter Dialogues presents She Walked Through: 250 Years Later—a new short film about women of African American lineage who uncovered Black, white, and American Indian ancestors who contributed to the American Revolution, then carried those stories through the doors of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The search led them to the patriots.

But the journey revealed the women.

You may come for the patriot.
But you stay for the woman.

Watch the film, then help these stories travel by sharing it with someone who should meet these women:

https://youtu.be/ETtFi5ZGyZQ

06/26/2026

For more than 50 years, Anna Deavere Smith has pioneered a type of theater built from real people's words, interviewing hundreds of Americans and then performing their words verbatim. Now she's telling a story from her own family with ‘Basil Biggs.’ It’s about her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man, who reburied the Union dead at Gettysburg and prepared the ground for Lincoln's most famous speech. Smith spoke with Tonya Mosley about how Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. led her to this story and why she sees herself as an Americanist.

For more than 50 years, Anna Deavere Smith has pioneered a type of theater built from real people's words, interviewing hundreds of Americans and then performing their words verbatim. Now she's telling a story from her own family with ‘Basil Biggs.’ It’s about her great-great-grandfather, a fr...

06/17/2026

Please enjoy this wonderful profile on Hutchins Center advisory board member Demond Martin.

Martin’s company WellWithAll sells supplements and energy drinks—but its bigger goal is raising $300 million to close health gaps for Black and Brown communities.